When the Los Angeles Lakers acquired the 27th overall pick in last month’s NBA Draft in the deal that sent D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the Brooklyn Nets the team knew who they wanted.
The Lakers selected Kyle Kuzma a 6’9” forward out of the University of Utah. While he was not a household name coming out of college he definitely made himself known in the Las Vegas Summer League.
He averaged 21.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game and earned the honors of the Summer League Championship Game MVP.
Kuzma’s impressive play in the summer tournament grasped the attention of a major shoe company. In a tweet sent out by Kuzma himself he has apparently signed a contract with Nike:
Excited to be apart of the @nikebasketball family #Swoosh pic.twitter.com/qL47MGvsFC
— kuz (@kylekuzma) July 20, 2017
For a player who flew under the radar, a summer league MVP and a fresh Nike contract is quite the payback for the teams who passed on him. With the NBA set to switch to Nike as the official jersey supplier for the entire league a deal with the brand is ideal for Kuzma.
While it is unlikely at the moment that he will have his own signature show he now has the vast selection of different Nike basketball shoes to choose from game to game.
His teammate Lonzo Ball has been the focal point of the summer not only because of his play but also because of the shoes he decides to wear on the court. Kuzma played in Nike’s throughout the Summer League but Ball switched it up for almost every game.
The question now is does Kuzma try to recruit Ball to join him and the Nike family. While Ball already has his own signature shoe from the Big Baller Brand, he is technically a sneaker free agent and can wear whatever shoes he feels like.
After Lonzo’s strong performance in Las Vegas his outspoken father, LaVar Ball, said that if the if the price is right Lonzo could end up signing a deal with a shoe company.