It’s often suspected that superstars, whether they be actors, musicians or professional athletes, are inauthentic and merely putting on a front to further increase their popularity and expand their brands. That’s evidently not the case with LeBron James, according to Los Angeles Lakers teammate Kyle Kuzma.
Appearing Wednesday on ESPN’s “First Take,” Kuzma opened up about how James doesn’t put on airs or treat teammates as beneath him, which some might erroneously expect out of one of the most famous and successful people on the planet.
“He’s just a good dude. Like, you see everything that he does and it’s not really fake,” Kuzma said of James. “He cares about his teammates. He’s always hitting the group chat with things and even now, even when we’re not playing, you know, he’s a real person and you can talk to him anytime about situations.
“Especially for me, just being a young player, kind of idolizing him when I was growing up as one of my favorite players, being able to play with him and really see what he does on a daily basis and really just pick things from him. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and that’s how I kind of look at it outside of just him being my friend and one of the greatest basketball players, you know?”
While the relationship between Kuzma and James clearly is a solid one, there have been some bumps along the way. In late December, Kuzma’s trainer said some unflattering things about James, who subsequently downplayed any notion of issues between himself and his teammate over the situation.
What’s more, when Kuzma’s name was being bandied about in trade rumors earlier this year, James was said to be supportive of the young star.
In other words, Kuzma’s characterization of James certainly appears to be an apt one, as it seems like once a player lands in his inner circle, the superstar will exhibit not only loyalty, but actual friendship.
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