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New Lakers teammate LeBron James inspires Kyle Kuzma on and off the court
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After spending last season making the case that he was the steal of the 2017 NBA Draft, Los Angeles Lakers power forward Kyle Kuzma will spend his sophomore season suiting up alongside one of the greatest athletes to play the game in superstar LeBron James.
While James' work ethic and leadership have fueled Kuzma's own efforts on the court this offseason, the four-time NBA MVP's charitable efforts in his hometown of Akron, Ohio have been an equally great source of inspiration for the budding star.
Kuzma dreams of having an equally profound impact on his hometown of Flint, Michigan, which has dealt with a water crisis for nearly five years.
The 23-year-old documented his continued work in his old stomping grounds and his recent return to the YMCA of Greater Flint in his "My Y Story" video.
After an impressive rookie year with the Los Angeles Lakers, power forward Kyle Kuzma will spend his sophomore season playing alongside LeBron James.
Adding a player of James' caliber would be a game-changer for any NBA team, but the four-time MVP has quickly become a mentor for Kuzma and the young Lakers core.
"He's helped me a lot off the floor and on the court," Kuzma said in an interview with Business Insider. "Seeing his work ethic has really helped me push my own work ethic to another level — not only me but all of the other young guys."
While there are many lessons to learn from a player as prolific and dominant as James, perhaps the most important to Kuzma involves his charitable efforts back home.
The three-time NBA champion made headlines when he opened the "I Promise School" for children at risk of falling behind in his hometown of Akron, Ohio this past offseason.
"He's definitely someone to look up to," Kuzma said in an interview with Business Insider. "It's been nice to have someone on the team who does a lot of charitable work in their own city and cares about their city."
Kuzma dreams of having an equally profound impact on his hometown of Flint, Michigan, and he is already taking steps to give back to the community where he was raised.
In a "My Y Story" video released Monday, Kuzma details what the Y meant to him growing up before returning to his old stomping grounds to surprise a group of kids at the YMCA of Greater Flint.
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"I essentially grew up at the Y," Kuzma told Business Insider. "It was a place where I spent a lot of my time growing up as a kid. For me, the Y has always had a special place in my heart because I was kind of raised there. I would always be there in the summertime and after school, so giving back is something that seemed right."
According to Christian Rivas at SBNation, the 23-year-old threw a Christmas party for kids who participate in the "Safe Places Program" at his hometown Y and made a sizeable donation to cover the facility's equipment necessities. During the same trip he took to Flint to film the "My Y Story" video, Kuzma donated 300 backpacks filled with school supplies and water bottles to kids at his free basketball camp.
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More than just basketball. @kylekuzma giving away free backpacks filled with goodies, school supplies, and #Lakers gear. pic.twitter.com/6vQ2FlMG04
Kuzma — who is now considered one of the biggest steals of the 2017 NBA Draft — cites hustling to overcome near-impossible odds to make it to the NBA and growing up in Flint as sources of his grit and hard work.
"I have that blue-collar mentality," Kuzma said. "I’ve always played with a chip on my shoulder, and I’ve always been hungry to learn."
The 23-year-old hopes to apply that attitude to whatever comes next with his philanthropic work in Flint. Though he has no set plans yet, he hopes to use his platform and resources to combat the city's ongoing water-pollution crisis.
"My dream would probably be working on the water crisis and trying to fix the pipes," Kuzma said. "My city has been dealing with that for going on five years, so that’s one thing I want to fix. It means a lot to me, and it would mean a lot to people if that were to be fixed."
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