“You’re only half of us.” As painful as this sentence sounds, it sums up Kyle Kuzma‘s childhood. This experience haunted him so much that in 2020, he took to ‘The Players’ Tribue’ to pen an essay reflecting on the isolation he experienced from both sides. Kuzma, who was born to a white mom and a black father, was told by the neighborhood kids that he was not black. But at Bentley High- an all-white school- his identity was that of a black kid. “I heard all kinds of racist things, racist jokes.”

Kuzma, who grew up in Flint, Michigan, stayed in a blue-collar neighborhood that had a lot of African-Americans. But it was difficult for him to find his own tribe. That’s where basketball came in. It saved him from gangs and getting into trouble. A young Kuzma told his mom, Karri, and his friends that he wanted to join the NBA, and when his dream came true in 2017 after being drafted by the Brooklyn Nets, Karri knew she too had succeeded.

After all, she raised him alone. Kerri gave up a potential career in shot-put and raised her son alone despite having trouble finding stable work. Kuzma’s biological father was never in the picture and the basketball player never met him. However, his mixed background often forced him to ponder over white privilege, which would extend to more opportunities, health benefits, financial aspects, and so on.

So, as you would have already guessed, Kyle Kuzma is not from the Philippines.

However, in his cover story interview with ALL-STAR Magazine, Kyle Kuzma shared that he wouldn’t mind playing for Gilas- The national team of the Philippines. “If I didn’t play for Team USA, I mean, I could rock out with JC [Jordan Clarkson]. That would be cool.”

The pair met during their time with the Lakers and, since then, have kept in close touch. But this admission only brought up more questions about his roots.

Karri Kuzma: Ukrainian ancestry?

One of the most valuable traits of the ex-Utes was his willingness to adapt to different roles and work hard at being better at it. And all the credit goes to his mom. A phenomenal athlete herself, Karri Kuzma could have reached great heights had she not decided to drop out of Hillsdale College in the 1990s.

A two-time Class B state shot put champion at Otisville Lakeville High School, a young Karri received a track scholarship to college. She played both varsity basketball and volleyball at Lakeville. But it was a track that was her true love, and Karri had proof to show it – three league titles in both shot put and discus in addition to the state championships!

Everything was going according to her plan until she got pregnant. “Looking back, I was close enough to finishing my degree that maybe I could have a found a way to stay and graduate, but I have no regrets because raising Kyle was the best decision I ever made,” Mama Kuzma admitted to Mark Spezia in a Detroit Free Press special in 2017.

As per some sources, Kerri has Ukrainian ancestry. Plus, their surname, Kuzma, could have Slavic origins.

As a single parent, the mom’s priority was to find a job to support her little family. But it was as tough as it came. In a period of 16 years, the Kuzma family moved nine times in and around Flint. Karri, though, did have a supporting hand in the form of her mother and grandparents. In the midst of it all, she also managed to earn an associate’s degree in business management. Truly extraordinary!

While his mother has to be credited for nurturing his love for basketball, Kuzma’s stepfather, Larry Smith, also played a key role in his basketball journey. “Because I got used to it growing up and (Larry) has been amazing to me, it’s not a huge thing to me that I don’t know my real father. He and my mother installed a Little Tykes hoop in the living room, and he was the first person I played basketball with after that.”

Andre, Kuzma’s half-brother, and Briana, his half-sister, both played with him when they were little. Despite all the challenges, Karri Kuzma’s son has come a long way from Flint. But with regard to his personal life, he found a partner who understands his childhood struggles.

Winnie and Kyle: The fashionable power couple of the NBA

Winnie Harlow needs no introduction. The popular Canadian model and a public spokesperson on the skin condition vitiligo, Chantelle Whitney Brown-Young, has been in a relationship with Kuzma since 2020. Although America’s Next Top Model candidate posts adorable and sometimes downright chic photos, both Harlow and Kuzma do love their privacy.

The start of their relationship was a whirlwind, but since then, the lovebirds have taken it slow, always there and rooting for each other in their respective careers. Harlow has often come to watch her boyfriend play, while Kyle accompanies her to the red carpet and other events and parties.

In the world of short-term relationships, the couple has managed to stick together.

 Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Asia Avinger.