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A year since his first visit, Kyle Kuzma was welcomed with open arms once more in the Philippines.
It didn’t take long for Kyle Kuzma to return to the Philippines.
A year after the original ‘KuzManila’ tour, the now-Milwaukee Bucks forward found himself back in the Philippines once more, where he was showered with love from the country’s basketball-loving fanbase.
During his media day at Okada Manila last Wednesday, August 20, ‘Kuz’ shared that the country has felt like a second home thanks to the warm reception from the Filipino people.
“I just felt a lot of love here last year, and I felt that I love being around great cultures and cultures that kind of inspire me. You know? I find inspiration in just the excitement,” Kuzma said during the ‘KuzManila II’ press conference held for media and influencers at the Chairman’s Lounge.
“The passion of basketball here, and I think that passion just rubbed off on me. The people here are so good, and I feel like home.”
Prior to his media day, Kyle Kuzma also spent time interacting with local communities, which started with a court mural unveiling at the Punta Sta. Ana Tenement in Manila, before going to Barangay Mabini-J.Rizal in Mandaluyong for an outreach and exhibition game.
Kuzma regards Filipinos as ‘very kind’ and ‘very grateful,’ and he relished the opportunity to interact with these local communities, who made the most out of the rare chance to see an NBA player in the flesh.
“There were little kids, and I was talking to someone on my team. And I was just like ‘yeah, these kids, they’ve probably never seen an NBA player, never touched one before’ and it was just so cool to see how gracious everybody was, just being excited and living in the moment,” Kuzma said.
In particular, the court unveiling at Punta Sta. Ana Tenement helped Kuz find a deeper appreciation for the little things, which he attributed to an interaction that hit close to home. During that event, a part of Manila Mayor Isko Moreno’s opening remarks was about the tenement’s water supply — a moment that elicited cheers from the residents who were present to see Kuz in the flesh.
“Coming from America, I feel like you always hear about ‘our country sucks’, ‘this is terrible here’, this is whatever. We complain about so many different things, and at the court reveal, we’re at this like real small town, kinda like a village,” Kuzma recalled of his time in Sta. Ana.
“And I was talking to the mayor [Moreno], and he was talking Tagalog. Then the lady that was next to me, she goes — cause I asked her, ‘What did he just say?’ — and she goes ‘The people that live here, they just got running water into their house, into their homes’.”
For Kuz, it reminded him of his hometown in Flint, Michigan, and its well-documented water crisis.
“Coming from Flint, Michigan where we haven’t had water for like 10 years. And we had running water, but our water had like lead in it and all these things we’re not supposed to be drinking,” Kuz continued.
“Here we are, thousands of miles across the ocean, and they finally got running water into their houses. Like it’s crazy, and it helps you just have a little perspective, and it’s very great to have a moment with those people.”
Is height still might?
Being a basketball country, it was quite inevitable that Kyle Kuzma was also asked about the possibility of a full-blooded Filipino player making it to the NBA. While perseverance is just as important, Kuz was still honest about the importance of height in the Association.
“There are point guards that are six-foot-seven. It’s hard, it’s a big league,” Kuzma admitted.
But that’s not to say that Filipinos should kiss their NBA dreams goodbye, according to the one-time NBA champion. At the same time, however, he also pointed out another intangible that can make or break one’s shot at the league.
“At the end of the day, anybody can really make it; you just have to work and you have to have a lot of luck, because that’s a super important part of being successful,” Kuzma said.
In recent years, homegrown talents such as Kevin Quiambao and Kai Sotto have all tried to realize their NBA dreams, with KQ going to the States for a private training camp in the hopes of landing an NBA Summer League spot.
The seven-foot Kai, meanwhile, went undrafted in 2022, while his stints with the G-League Ignite and the Orlando Magic’s Summer League squad didn’t exactly pan out.
“When you have luck, and being prepared for that is very, very important. To meet that opportunity, and yeah, when you make it to the NBA, you’re part of that one percent. It’s so hard to do it, regardless of whether you are tall or short,” Kuzma said.
Still, the Milwaukee Buck has this piece of advice for anybody trying to make it, whether it’s in basketball or any other sport: “Just to work hard, block out all the noise, and just believe in yourself. It’s real simple, those are three things I’ve done my entire life.
“To be in this situation that I’m in, to be in this stage. To be able to do what I love every day, playing basketball. And you know? Just find that purpose in life.”
Banner images courtesy of Okada Manila.