Kyle Kuzma was selected with the 27th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Coming out of Utah, Kuzma lacked the name recognition of many of his peers and some questioned why L.A. wasted a first round pick on him.
Kuzma quickly turned in a stellar rookie campaign for the Lakers and silenced all the doubters.
This week, Kuzma looked back on his draft experience and made a fairly surprising confession.
“I wasn’t supposed to be drafted,” he said during a recent interview.
“Like I got drafted 27 because I was killing in workouts, I was killing the Combine. You know the Under Advisory Committee, right? You call them right before you decide, okay do I want to test the waters? Do I want to declare? Do I want to come back?
“They call me and they go, ‘Okay so we got your feedback. 19 NBA teams believe that you should be picked around 50 to 60 and then the other 11 said that you would go undrafted. So, take this information with what you want.’
“Because I had another year of eligibility but I was graduating. I was like, ‘Why the hell am I in school right now?’ I just got a degree, that make no damn sense to go back to school. I know I’m way better than 50, 60 people. I got to be, right?”
At that point, Kuzma decided to put it all on the line and bet on himself.
“So I go out, I test it, I tell my coach I’m leaving,” Kuzma continued.
“Everybody’s like, ‘Yo, you’re making a terrible mistake. Nobody thinks you get drafted. Why don’t you come back? Potentially be a first round pick.’ I said, ‘Coach I’m out of here bro.’ For me, I just had this blind confidence in myself.”
To say that the gamble paid off for Kuzma would be an understatement.
Not only does he currently have two teams fighting for the opportunity to acquire him, but he is in the midst of a career year right now with the Washington Wizards.
Shannon Sharpe is done with Skip Bayless and Undisputed. https://t.co/3ULd5zxsDE
— Game 7 (@game7__) January 3, 2023
That means, regardless of his next stop, he will likely get $20 million per year on his next contract no matter where he goes.
Not bad for a guy who wasn’t even supposed to be drafted.
Kuzma still has a lot of time in the NBA to become a truly elite talent, but for now he can settle for just proving all his doubters wrong one day at a time.
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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.
