NBA FINALS: LAKERS VS. HEAT

September 29, 2020

Kyle Kuzma

Los Angeles Lakers

Practice Day

Q. Just wondering if you could kind of take me through what your feelings are heading into the Finals being a kid who grew up in Flint, Michigan and went to the University of Utah to now playing for a world championship. Could you envision this happening in such a short amount of time?

KYLE KUZMA: Yeah, like you said, just the journey that I've taken to get to this point has been pretty crazy, and it's just a surreal feeling to say that I'm in the NBA finals with the opportunity to win the NBA Championship.

So, man, just incredibly thankful. Obviously when you come to the league you want to win, have success, and sometimes it never comes in this league. You see so many guys that have never even been to the Conference Finals.

So putting that in perspective, having an opportunity to be in the NBA finals and in my third year, it's an honor.

Q. Congrats on this accomplishment. Talk about what is the preparation like and also being in the Finals with LeBron James, who has been there plenty of times, what have you been learning from him to prepare for this moment?

KYLE KUZMA: You know, just the amount of focus and discipline, you know, that mental toughness that you have to have at this point in the season simply because you're so close. You're four games away from doing something you always wanted to do since being a young kid.

So just being extra focused, extra locked in, and just trying to give it our all. It's a final push to get over to the horizon, so here we are.

Q. You guys have been in a bubble I think 83 days now, something like that.

KYLE KUZMA: Yep.

Q. How have you maintained your focus, and what do you think it's been for you guys that got you to this point?

KYLE KUZMA: Man, I think the biggest thing -- you know, honestly, I don't really think we've had issues with that because we kind of came here with one goal: to win the championship.

So guys are already motivated. Obviously it's tough days here, but we got each other here and we're a family. We're all brothers. We all talk to each other every day, hang out with each other, and make this experience fun.

This is a great opportunity that we have on our hands, so everyone does their part to make everybody feel like it's a family.

That's why it's been fun here.

Q. What's it going to take to win Game 1?

KYLE KUZMA: You know, we just got to be ourselves out there. Got to hit shots. We got to play hard in transition. We got to defend at a high level that we have been all playoffs. Just play that Lakers' brand of basketball.

Q. Last offseason was pretty big moves for the Lakers. Essentially traded the entire team but you in order to bring in Anthony Davis and take you guys where you are now. How much have you thought about just how different things could have been for you? Like especially when you look at where you are now and how sometimes things just don't work out that way.

KYLE KUZMA: Yeah, I mean, I could have been at home enjoying myself right now. That's the biggest thing for us, to be here obviously, like you said, big trades, having AD come here, and decide to put me in the mix to try to win a championship and be a part of a championship team, you know, I'm just very thankful for it.

It's a great opportunity in my young career, and I'm just excited.

Q. How did the March Madness a couple years ago prepare you for this playoff series, for the Finals?

KYLE KUZMA: Say it one more time.

Q. Sorry. I said how your time in college playing in the NCAA Tournament prepare you for this stage of your life playing the NBA finals?

KYLE KUZMA: It doesn't at all. Like not whatsoever. College basketball and the NBA is two different games, two different sports. You know, maybe just having that sense of urgency, but it's completely different.

Q. So Kyle, my question would be how would you describe LeBron's career as far as the expectations that us in the media set for him when he was just 16 years old to where he is right now?

KYLE KUZMA: I mean, he's overachieved them I guess. I mean, he's done everything at the highest level on the court, off the court, win championships, score a bunch of points.

You know being on defense, he's done everything in this league that you can do. So that explains it all.