LOS ANGELES — Standing side by side at the same station for shootaround drills on the morning after Thanksgiving were Los Angeles Lakers teammates, Kyle Kuzma and LeBron James.
Friendly trash talk and competition was certainly on display at the UCLA Health Training Center, as 23-year-old Kuzma — a former University of Utah star — continues to soak in as much knowledge as possible from the 33-year-old James, a three-time NBA champion.
On Friday night, Kuzma posted nine points and six rebounds in a 90-83 win versus the Utah Jazz, while James contributed 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
In his sophomore season, Kuzma is averaging 16.2 points and 4.8 rebounds with a new cast of teammates. But more important than the numbers, Year 2 in the NBA has been a learning experience for Kuzma, while shadowing the league’s No. 5 all-time scorer.
“It’s helped a lot. I’ve learned so much in the two, three months that he’s been here,” Kuzma said of James. “Every single day coming in and how to take care of your body and even on the court, learning little aspects of the game that I’ve never really thought of before.”
Kuzma listed communication on the defensive end and leadership as some of the biggest examples of how he’s learned from James. Lakers coach Luke Walton praised Kuzma’s work ethic and killer mentality way before James’ arrival. As a rookie, he also put up 16.1 points and 6.3 rebounds, but the Lakers finished went 35-47.
With James, they’re off to an 11-7 start, winning nine of their last 11 games so it’s a different attitude with heightened expectations.
“Anytime that you’re out here on the court and you’re working and playing with one of the all-time greats then you start to see firsthand how they do things,” Walton said. “How they see the game and things of that nature so I think just being around it helps and helps with his vision most likely is for his endgame, too.”
Sure, the basketball mentorship is helpful, but Kuzma and James also share similarities in their upbringings as Midwest products. James is a native of Akron, Ohio, where he recently opened his I Promise School in his hometown with several other community-oriented projects, while Kuzma is trying to leave the same impact in his hometown of Flint, Mich.
In August, he hosted his inaugural free basketball camp in Flint and is planning another holiday event for the kids of the YMCA of Greater Flint, possibly in December.
Even with the ongoing Flint water crisis continuing to plague Kuzma’s community, fellow NBA peers JaVale McGee (Lakers), Monte Morris of the Denver Nuggets and Charlotte Hornets rookie Miles Bridges continue to shine a bright spot on the city with their success as local products.
Four-star recruit Terry Armstrong was the latest Flint basketball talent to sign a Division I scholarship with the University of Arizona on Wednesday.
“It’s wonderful to see it but it’s not surprising because that’s our heritage,” Flint Mayor Karen Weaver told the Deseret News. “One thing Flint is known for is that we’re a great athletic and sports town. We really are.
“We have some of the best coming right out of the city of Flint, Michigan,” she added. “Every time I see them, I just get a big grin on my face because they show what we’re really about, what we’re made of and how strong we are so they make a good name for us, people pay attention to them and when they see them coming out of Flint it lets you know that it’s got to be some good stuff happening in the city."
The Flint water crisis began in April 2014, after the city stopped getting water from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to the Flint River as a cost-saving measure while the city was under control of a state-appointed emergency manager. The move led to corroded pipes that allowed lead to flow into the water system. A report released in September 2015 by Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha showed elevated lead levels among Flint’s children, which can cause irreversible brain damage in children.
The city switched back to the Detroit water system in October 2015. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder declared a state of emergency in January 2016 in Flint over health and safety concerns from the water that opened the door for then-President Barack Obama to declare a federal emergency and provide millions in funding to help with the crisis.
Free bottled water to residents was ended by the state in April 2018 as testing and treatment showed improvement to the city’s water quality, but residents stay hesitant in using the water until all lead-tainted pipes are replaced.
Pipes have been excavated at nearly 17,700 homes as of November 2018 under Mayor Weaver’s FAST Start Initiative with a goal of replacing all lead-tainted service lines by the end of 2019.
“It just depends, for some people it may never end,” Weaver said of putting an end to the water crisis. “It depends on the amount of impact it had on you.
“Some people whose kids were poisoned, this is going to be with them for the rest of their lives and people that live in Flint, we’re always questioning,” she said. “While some may get through it sooner than others, I think it’s something we don’t know how long this impact may last and I think to all of us to different degrees.”
For now, Kuzma and others from the community remain committed to helping the area, just as James does in Akron. Younger guys like Armstrong are drawing inspiration from the city’s long list of NBA talent over the years such as Glen Rice, Morris Peterson, Mateen Cleaves, Charlie Bell, and Eddie Robinson while Kuzma is the latest example of someone who made it out.
“I don’t know, it’s something in the water that makes us tough,” Armstrong said, laughing. “We’re just different.”
“Pressure makes diamonds,” Peterson added. “We’ve got a city that’s resilient and these guys have to deal with a lot in this city and still play basketball so this just shows we’ve got that never quit attitude.”