Kyle Kuzma has quietly cemented his status as one of NBA's true rock stars in recent years. More than being a champ, the 29-year-old Washington Wizards forward has made quite the name for himself off the court as an entrepreneur, philanthropist, creative director, and style icon.
Esquire Philippines sits down with the NBA star to talk about the upcoming season, good vs. mid-style, his business ventures, and a whole lot more.
Esquire Philippines sits down with the NBA star to talk about the upcoming season, good vs. mid-style, his business ventures, and a whole lot more.
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00:00When you look at business, it's a sport as well, something that's very competitive.
00:16Yeah, the Philippines have been amazing. So far I've only been here, you know, a day and a half
00:22and getting from the airport to Moa was phenomenal. I had an unbelievable experience,
00:28went to the NBA store, met a lot of fans, got a massage last night that was really good too.
00:33Really, really excited to see more of what the Philippines has to offer and enjoy myself here.
00:43I've seen the Filipino connection just from being in LA and being a Laker, so I kind of
00:48already knew what it would be. But being here and seeing it firsthand is totally different.
00:54I really, really understand just the passion that these fans have about basketball and
00:59kind of want to learn a little bit more about the history of why it's so impactful here.
01:10I think I've developed really well as a leader over the past two years. Last year was my first
01:16full-on year being that type of guy. It's experience, it's something that you have to
01:22do every single day. You can't really take a day off from it because everybody is watching you and
01:27learning that last year is even going to make this year even much more better for me and being
01:32around the guys. And last year was huge and having that relationship is super, super important.
01:44I don't think nothing really changes. I think because, one, I love basketball. I think I want
01:50to improve every single year that I'm playing. I think as you get older, you get wiser, you get
01:54better. And that's what I'm doing. I think every year in my career I've done that and I don't think
01:59I'm going to stop now, so.
02:07I think what makes this style is just being authentic and being yourself,
02:11wearing things that make you feel good, that you feel comfortable in, that make you happy.
02:17Aesthetically, I think I've kind of had a journey of trying to learn that and trying
02:21different things. And that's naturally what you're going to do. Try out, do I like
02:27suits? Do I like baggy clothes? Do I like fitted clothes? Do I like athleisure? Over the years,
02:31I've really honed in on what I like and what I feel comfortable in, so.
02:36You know, I think business is super important. It's another thing that's like a challenge.
02:41You know, I think when you look at business, it's a sport as well. It's something that's
02:46very competitive. You can win in. And I think that's what really, really attracts me to it,
02:51outside of just the money and everything. I think it's very, very fun. And building something is
02:56being creative, being artsy. You know, that's what, you know, that's what I love about it.
03:05Keeps me alive, so.
03:13Well, I think at the beginning of my career, I was always in Asia. My first three years in the
03:19NBA, every summer, I came over here. And once COVID happened, it really stopped because the
03:25world stopped. Now that the world's back over, this is my first time being back over here in a
03:28couple of years. Very, very excited because of one, the fan base and the people over here. But
03:33two, you know, there's a lot of business-minded people over here that I can learn from, that I can
03:39do business with and also partner and share what I have to offer to the world, to this side of
03:47the world, so. Yeah, I mean, Flint will always be a part of me. I rep it through and through.
03:59My Calculus and Family Foundation is something that is super, super important to me and my mother.
04:05We really partnered to take that on. And, you know, it'll always be a part of me. I got it
04:12tatted on me a couple of times, Flint, my area code. So something that is always with me. I never
04:18forget where I come from and really keeps me grounded when I think about home and what I've
04:23always been through my entire life to be where I am now. So I'm extremely humbled and grateful to be
04:30from Flint, Michigan.