Kyle Kuzma expected 'crazy' reception in PH thanks to pals Clarkson, Green

Kyle Kuzma's recent arrival in the Philippines may be his first time visiting the country, but the NBA star said he has always known about it from a few people in his circle.

Kuzma, who was already showered with a passionate welcome in less than 24 hours, said he already had an idea of how big basketball is in the country, thanks to his good friends Jordan Clarkson and Jalen Green.

Clarkson and Green are of Filipino heritage with the former even representing the Philippines in various international tournaments such as the Asian Games and the recent 2023 FIBA World Cup, where Gilas Pilipinas finished 24th overall in the 32-team field.

The 22-year-old Green, meanwhile, has been in the country many times in the past, the latest one was in 2022 when he revisited his Filipino background during a tour.

Aside from these two fellow NBA players, Kuzma shared that his barbers back in the States are also Filipinos, who would share to him the things to do when in the Philippines.

"I got here yesterday and went straight to MOA and that was a blast, super fun," Kuzma said in a press conference on Monday in Makati.

"This is my first time here. I have a bunch of Filipino friends in Jordan Clarkson and Jalen Green and two of my barbers are actually Filipinos in the States so I’ve heard much about this place so I’m just excited to be here."

Being a former Los Angeles Laker, Kuzma knew there'd be a lot of support from the locals as the Philippines has a large number of fans of the franchise, which is the second winningest club in NBA history.

Kuzma, who won a title with the Lakers in 2020 alongside the likes of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Rajon Rondo, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, shared that even the late Kobe Bryant spoke to him about the Lakers fanbase in Asia.

"I didn’t expect that many people but I expected it to be pretty crazy, just because I know this fanbase from just being a Laker," Kuzma added.

"I’ve been friends with Kobe and we talked about Asia and his travels and understanding that this is a crazy market for basketball."

—JMB, GMA Integrated News