Kyle Kuzma is one of the best young players on the Los Angeles Lakers. He is also a native of Flint, Michigan, a city which is still dealing with significant issues regarding its water supply.
Along with guys like Rasheed Wallace, Kuzma is one of several NBA players hoping to help the beleaguered Midwestern town. Speaking to ESPN this week, Kuzma said that he was trying to do all he could to bring awareness and change to the area.
Flint has had issues with lead in its water since 2014, and has been in a declared federal state of emergency since 2016. In his opinion, Kuzma thinks that Flint has been abandoned by the federal government and perhaps America at large.
Via ESPN:“It is just kind of sad for me, how America has let a city of its own deplete and kind of die,” Kuzma said. “We help third-world countries out, but we have a city that doesn’t have [clean] water. It doesn’t make sense. That is definitely one of the frustrating things. But that is why I am not a politician.”
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“I am trying to do a lot,” Kuzma said. “Not so much now because I haven’t really made enough money [yet] to really make some things happen. ... My thing is to keep spreading awareness.
“During election time, [the water crisis] was such a big deal. And once that kind of went away, Flint went away. I want to try to keep it alive and really keep pushing it forward until I can do bigger and better things here.”
Kuzma went on to state that he believes he can create a larger change in his hometown area much like Lakers teammate LeBron James has done for the city of Akron. The Lakers guard started making inroads in that department, holding a basketball camp for local kids who also received backpacks with bottled water inside.
If you would like to join Kuzma in helping to support the residents of Flint, one of the best ways you can do that is to contribute to the Flint Water Fund.
