By Kevin Estrada
Not even a flight delay deter Kyle Kuzma from making the most of his first-ever visit to the Philippines, as he enjoyed his three-day stay as part of his Asian tour during the NBA offseason.
The Washington Wizards forward saw his reception by the Filipino fans had gone through the roof since he touched down last Sunday, and had made his appreciation loud and clear when he met the press the following day, August 26 in Makati’s Dusit Thani.
“I didn’t expect that many people, but I expected it to be pretty crazy,” he said.
Kuzma then remarked that he had come prepared for his visit to the country, with no less than his former teammate Jordan Clarkson giving him what he needed to see from the Filipinos.
“Being his [former] teammate, he gave me the 411 (information) about the Philippines and what to expect,” he said to BurnSports.Ph, referring to the Jazz guard who played for Gilas Pilipinas in last year’s FIBA Basketball World Cup which the country hosted.
Kuzma then continued his awe at the Filipino fans, who remember him ever since he made his NBA debut with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017, eventually winning the title three years later.
That season marked Kuzma being the third leading scorer behind Anthony Davis and LeBron James, as he was instrumental in bringing the 17th banner to the City of Angels as a fitting tribute to Kobe Bryant, who tragically passed away as the Lakers won the NBA title inside the Orlando bubble.
“I’ve known about this fanbase, for just being a Laker. Being friends with Kobe [Bryant] and talking about Asia and his travels and understands that this [Philippines] is a crazy market for basketball,” Kuzma expressed with some emotion as the press conference came just two days after the Black Mamba Day (August 24).
“I think I was very blessed and fortunate when I first came into the NBA to build relationship, real relationship with [Kobe] and ask him about a lot of different things whether it was basketball, life, business, relationship, what to do, what not to do,” he later said, as he hopes to instill the Mamba Mentality to lead the Wizards in the upcoming season.
“It’s all about passion so you know if you love something you’re gonna do it to the best of your ability.”
Kyle was amazed by the love of Filipino basketball fans and thrilled to be back.
‘Thank you guys for all coming out. This is incredible– just the love here is amazing. I truly, truly appreciate it and I’m excited to see a lot more to come’
Follow the writer on X: @kevinlestrada
