Kyle Kuzma will become a 10-year NBA veteran next season, with his career playing out in the height of the social media era. The Milwaukee Bucks forward started his career under the bright lights of the Los Angeles Lakers, developing a strong social media following with his outrageous outfits before NBA games and his general lifestyle content.
Kuzma was traded by the Lakers to the Washington Wizards in the doomed Russell Westbrook trade in 2021. The best highlight of his debut season with the Wizards didn’t come on the court, as everyone still talks about the time Kuzma pulled up to a game against the Charlotte Hornets in November 2021 wearing an oversized pink Raf Simons sweater.
While the brand name on that sweater was heavy, the look of it was clowned relentlessly by fans and other NBA players. The arms of the sweater came down to Kuzma’s shins and were the most egregious ‘oversized’ look we’ve seen by an NBA player ever, even more than LeBron James‘ 2003 white Draft Day suit.
Kuzma reflected on the fit after a fan brought it up on social media, chalking the bad outfit off on a poor decision in his youth before asking the poster to leave him alone.
“I was young, leave me alone.”
Kuzma’s decision to wear the sweater led to former championship teammates from the Lakers, LeBron and Anthony Davis, to clown him in the moment. It’s become an iconic image when it comes to showing off the poor fashion decisions NBA players end up making to impress on social media before the game.
The Wizards had a pink sweater bobblehead day to appreciate Kuzma, with NBA players such as Jay Huff recreating the fit as part of Halloween in recent years.
Kuzma has had a topsy-turvy career in the five years since this image. He averaged 19.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists over four seasons with the Wizards before getting traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in February 2025 to be a win-now piece next to Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Kuzma has averaged 13.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists on the Bucks, missing the 2026 NBA Playoffs in a season that was likely the final straw before Antetokounmpo’s 13-year tenure with the Bucks ends.
If Antetokounmpo is traded this summer, Kuzma will likely be an option to be moved as well. He’ll make $20.4 million next season, and could be a decent win-now power forward option on a contender looking to add size.
He’s a high-effort rebounder who can stretch the floor, although relying on him as a leading offensive option might be tricky, even though he’s had seasons averaging over 20 points on tanking teams like the Wizards.
With next season being the final year on Kuzma’s contract, there is also a chance that the Bucks keep him on the roster for most of the season while he builds up trade value as a featured option. A contender might be more willing to take a flyer on Kuzma if there’s a good body of work behind it, with the Bucks potentially maximizing their assets as a result.
If Antetokounmpo is staying, the Bucks should use Kuzma’s expiring contract to find better fits at forward around Giannis. Kuzma and Antetokounmpo play the same position in very different roles, so their sharing the court winds up looking awkward most times. Kuzma doesn’t have the perimeter mobility of a traditional small forward, so the Bucks could look to address that hole to boost their performances around Giannis.
Regardless, the chances Kuzma finishes next season with the Bucks are low, as he faces an uncertain future as a free agent in 2027.
