The 2023-24 NBA season is just around the corner, and many teams have made some improvements this offseason, signing more than 10 contracts worth over $100 million, which is a new record in NBA history. The NBA’s commercial value is increasing, and so is the players’ compensation. Among these $100 million contracts, one player’s story has touched many fans. He is Kyle Kuzma, who was not very talented in many people’s eyes. He didn’t get much recognition from scouts when he entered the NBA, and he lost the media’s attention after leaving the Lakers. But now, Kuzma has secured his own $100 million contract. Let’s take a look at Kuzma’s story over the years!

A Utah star, but a late first-round pick
Like most NBA players, Kuzma had a poor upbringing. He and his mother lived by themselves before he went to high school, and they even lived in a dark basement for years, hiding from the dangers of the streets. Despite the financial hardship, Kuzma’s mother still sacrificed to let Kuzma get a higher education, which was also the support for him to enter the NBA later. In his freshman year of high school, Kuzma averaged 17.9 points, 14.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.4 steals, and became a local sensation. But Kuzma’s physical talent was not very impressive compared to the rest of the country, so he kept working on his skills, and finally in his senior year, he got the attention of several NCAA schools, including Connecticut.

However, Kuzma decided to go to Utah. In the NCAA stage, Kuzma met talented high school players from all over the country, which made him only a bench player in his freshman year, averaging only 3.3 points and 1.8 rebounds. Kuzma felt defeated, but he soon used it as a motivation to improve himself. Finally, in his sophomore season, he became a starter for the team, averaging 10.8 points and 5.7 rebounds. And in his junior season, he became the team’s star, averaging 16.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists, and was selected to the Pac-12 All-Conference First Team.

For Kuzma, playing for Utah in the NCAA was not enough for him, so he aimed for the NBA. But compared to other players, Kuzma’s age and physical talent were not advantageous. After all, when he entered the NBA draft in 2017, he was already 22 years old. As expected, he didn’t hear his name until the 27th pick in the first round. But fortunately for him, Kuzma joined the NBA’s top team Lakers. Even though the Lakers were rebuilding after Kobe’s retirement at that time, Los Angeles still had plenty of media attention that made Kuzma excited. And as a late first-round pick, he soon brought surprises to the Lakers.

In the 2017 Las Vegas Summer League , Kuzma played all seven games and averaged 21 .9 points , 6 .4 rebounds and 2 .7 assists per game . He was selected to the All-Summer League Second Team . What made Lakers fans even happier was that in the final against Portland Trail Blazers , Kuzma scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds , helping Lakers win Summer League championship . He also won Summer League Finals MVP . In less than two years of entering NBA , Kuzma had already won two MVP awards . For a late first-round pick , this was quite an amazing achievement .

Four years with Lakers , another MVP + championship .
In the 2017-18 season , Kuzma started his rookie season . The Lakers had a lot of young talents at that time , such as Julius Randle , Brandon Ingram , Jordan Clarkson , who later became famous , and Lonzo Ball , who was in the same draft class as Kuzma . This group of young people carried the responsibility of reviving Lakers after Kobe era , but they still lacked experience , and this Lakers team still had a dismal record of 35 wins and 47 losses , missing playoffs again . But for Kuzma , he had a satisfactory rookie performance , averaging 16 .1 points , 6 .3 rebounds and 1 .8 assists per game . His scoring tied for team-high , broke team rookie record for three-pointers made , and was selected to All-Rookie First Team at end of season . He also ranked fourth in Rookie of Year voting , behind Ben Simmons , Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum .

In the 2018-19 season , LeBron James joined Lakers with a strong force , which gave Kuzma and other young people hope . Kuzma , who officially became team’s starting forward , improved his stats to 18 .7 points , 5 .5 rebounds and 2 .5 assists per game . In that year’s Rising Stars Challenge , Kuzma represented Team USA and scored 35 points , 6 rebounds and 2 assists , helping Team USA win game . He was also named Rising Stars Challenge MVP . In less than two years of entering NBA , Kuzma had won three MVP awards .

But Lakers still failed to make playoffs . In the summer of 2019 , Lakers started to make trades , and finally they sent Ball , Ingram and Josh Hart to Pelicans , and traded for superstar big man Anthony Davis . Without any surprise , Davis and James quickly helped Lakers rise again . In the 2019-20 season , Lakers immediately topped West , and in the bubble playoffs , they swept all the way to the finals , where they beat Heat 4-2 , winning championship after 10 years .

That year’s Kuzma was limited by Davis and James’ presence , not only had less ball rights , but also was arranged as team’s substitute , but he still contributed 12 .8 points , 4 .5 rebounds and 1 .3 assists per game . Lakers’ championship also had Kuzma’s credit . But the next year , Lakers were plagued by injuries , and their record suffered a lot . They also lost to Suns in the first round of playoffs . And Kuzma , although he still had 12 .9 points , 6 .1 rebounds and 1 .9 assists per game , and also got a three-year $40 million extension from team , but he had reached end of road with Lakers .

Becoming Wizards’ mainstay, happy to get $100 million contract.
In the summer of 2021, in order to get Westbrook, Lakers sent Kuzma to Wizards. In many people’s eyes, Kuzma’s departure was not so reluctant, and they even thought that leaving media-focused Los Angeles, Kuzma would soon fall. However, Kuzma hit back hard. After arriving in Washington, he not only immediately occupied a starting spot on team, but also gained trust of head coach Wes Unseld Jr. with his excellent performance. He averaged 17.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, among which rebounds and assists both set new career highs.

And in the last season, due to Bradley Beal’s frequent injuries, Kuzma became team’s core player. He averaged 21.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, becoming more versatile in games. Whether it was rebounding, passing, or scoring, he improved a lot compared to his time with Lakers. In order to keep Kuzma, Wizards also offered him a four-year $102 million contract this summer, re-signing him. With Beal leaving for Phoenix, Porzingis going to Boston, next season’s Wizards will become Kuzma and Jordan Poole’s team. For 28-year-old Kuzma, next season is best chance to prove himself.

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