Kyle Kuzma was traded by the Los Angeles Lakers this week as part of a deal that will land Russell Westbrook in LA.
Now that Kuzma is moving on, his three-year partnership with LeBron James has concluded. The pair has had an interesting relationship, to say the least. They have had some pretty brutal public exchanges, leading to speculation that they don’t like each other too much.
While it is impossible to say for certain whether that’s true or not, it is worth noting that back in 2019 Kuzma regarded James as his GOAT.
Year 17 talking about this!!! Goat talk https://t.co/2D3fBnF37h
— kuz (@kylekuzma) November 26, 2019
In fact, at the time, he even regarded James greater than Kobe Bryant.
“Bron is Bron,” he told Hoops on Fox that year. “I’m never going to count him out, because he’s the greatest player of this generation. No question. … It’s hard to go against Kobe but, I mean, he’s been to the Finals seven straight times.”
Since then, his opinion seems to have changed a bit.
This past week, after getting dealt by the Lakers, Kuzma highlighted a new GOAT in his book – Bryant.
Greatest ever no question https://t.co/hYOsgUdIXS
— kuz (@kylekuzma) August 1, 2021
Has Kuzma legitimately changed his mind on the topic? Or is this is simply a dig at James, with whom he has had some friction in the past? That’s open to interpretation.
It’ll be interesting to see where the James-Kuzma relationship goes from here. They no longer need each other, so if they remain friends – their relationship was genuine this entire time. If they don’t – well then that’ll pretty much speak for itself.
Alex Caruso stays winning. https://t.co/RPDs7KeKXN
— Game 7 (@game7__) August 2, 2021
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
