Latest news with #Kuzma
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kyle Kuzma Sends Hilarious Warning to Giannis Antetokounmpo Amid Bucks Exit Rumors
Kyle Kuzma Sends Hilarious Warning to Giannis Antetokounmpo Amid Bucks Exit Rumors originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Milwaukee Bucks fans do not want to see Giannis Antetokounmpo leave. The former back-to-back MVP has spent his entire career thus far with the same team that drafted him 12 years ago, and supporters are hoping that he remains loyal to the them despite seeing his name dragged into numerous trade rumors of late. Advertisement The same can be said about Antetokounmpo's Bucks teammates. Take for instance Kyle Kuzma, who himself joined Milwaukee last February as part of a mid-season trade deal with the Washington Wizards. Kuzma has not had the opportunity to be teammates with Antetokounmpo for very long, which is why the 6-foot-9 forward has made it clear that he wants Antetokounmpo to stay with the Bucks. Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo during the game against the Atlanta Hawks at Fiserv Hanisch-Imagn Images On Monday, Kuzma posted a video of himself on Instagram wherein he is seen training in Muay Thai. In his post, he sent a warning for Antetokounmpo about potentially jumping ship. "Me to @giannis_an34 if you leave next year," Kuzma wrote, adding a handful of laughing emojis. Kuzma is well aware of the trade buzz surrounding Antetokounmpo, and the former has come out to make his feelings about it abundantly clear. He obviously isn't serious about beating Antetokounmpo up with his Muay Thai skills should the latter decide to move on, but Kuzma has made it known that he wants his teammate to remain in Milwaukee. Advertisement For what it's worth, Antetokounmpo has responded to Kuzma's "threat." The nine-time All-Star reposted Kuzma's video in his own Instagram stories, adding a couple of laughing emojis to the same. Antetokounmpo, though, did not leave any clue as to what his intentions are this summer in terms of his future with the Bucks. Related: Fans React After Giannis Antetokounmpo Teases Potential Luka Doncic Team-Up This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Otago Daily Times
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Film focuses on joy, fears of motherhood in dream job
Inspired by the ups and downs of motherhood, an acclaimed Wānaka skier tells her story of being pregnant while working as a mountain guide. Dear Superhero, directed by Jase Hancox and Corinna Halloran, is one of the many films set to premiere in the upcoming New Zealand Mountain Film Festival in Wānaka. The 17-minute film follows the story of Janina Kuzma, a Wānaka skier and mountain guide who competed in the 2014 Winter Olympics and was later named Central Otago Sportswoman of the Year for her achievements. Ms Kuzma found out she was pregnant in April last year, something that brought her joy as she had looked forward to starting a family. This joy was soon followed by fear as she was faced with the reality of telling co-workers the life-changing news and juggling motherhood and her dream job. As a contract mountain guide, she worked on skifields across the Southern Lakes region and even some in North America. The job can be seen as physically dangerous, and Ms Kuzma was anxious her co-workers would not think she could work during her pregnancy. "It can be a very male-dominated field," she said. "So I just hid my pregnancy as long as I could, just because of the fear of feeling like they thought I shouldn't be in the mountains guiding." For six months, no-one at work knew Ms Kuzma was pregnant. When she finally told her team, she was met with a wave of support and everyone had been really happy for her. She admitted that her feelings had come from a fear of being perceived differently in a physically demanding job. It was this lingering concern that encouraged her to reach out to her sponsors at North Face and suggest the film idea even before she got pregnant. Wānaka director Jase Hancox jumped on board but found it difficult at at first to direct the film on his own. As a father of two, he said he was unable to relate to Ms Kuzma's story and found it helpful to bring on American director Corinna Halloran. Ms Kuzma worked with the film directors and was also able to invite Canadian snowboarder and mother Leanne Pelosi and Swedish skier and doula Evelina Nilsson to be part of the film. The storyline focuses on the experiences of women in the snow sport industry as they work through raising families and not giving up on their life-long passions. "It's an exploration of the power and the complexity of motherhood and just what it takes while chasing my dreams in the mountains," Ms Kuzma said. She hoped the film spoke to all women, not just athletes, who might feel the pressures of raising a family and following their ambitions. The film is set to premier on Saturday, June 21, during the 2025 New Zealand Mountain Film and Book Festival in Wānaka.
New York Times
23-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Bucks' defensive breakdowns, slow starts have Doc Rivers mulling lineup changes
INDIANAPOLIS — After missing a shot at the rim on the opening possession of Game 2, Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma crashed to the floor. He picked himself up and sprinted back on defense, but he was too late. The Indiana Pacers were already two passes into their five-on-four transition possession. Kuzma managed to get back into the play and find a Pacer to cover, but as Kuzma backpedaled towards the lane, Tyrese Haliburton sprinted to the top of the key to receive the next pass. As Haliburton caught the ball, Kuzma attempted a closeout, but he was too late. Haliburton sprinted past Kuzma and toward the rim, where Giannis Antetokounmpo was waiting for Haliburton after leaving his assignment, Aaron Nesmith, in the right corner. Taurean Prince sprinted out to contest Nesmith's shot, but it was too late. Nesmith knocked down the catch-and-shoot look from the corner and the Pacers took the lead, one that they would hold onto for all 48 minutes on Tuesday in their 123-115 win to take a 2-0 lead in the first-round series. The opening sequence was a good example of what happened repeatedly to the Bucks to start Tuesday's game. Milwaukee was too late, and Indiana remained a step ahead. Advertisement 'We don't want to put ourselves in a hole early in the game,' Antetokounmpo said. 'I think we've done it in two games. We also did it in the third quarter. It's hard to play from behind. We just gotta be smarter the way we play, be more urgent when we start the game; hopefully we can be the one to set the tone and not them.' Not only have the Bucks put themselves in a hole at the start of each of the first two games of this series, but they've also done it at the start of all four halves. In the first and third quarters of Games 1 and 2, Doc Rivers has been the coach to call the first timeout, and the Bucks have been at a deficit in the preceding time period in each instance: • The Bucks trailed 16-8 on Tuesday when Rivers called a timeout with seven minutes, 59 seconds remaining in the first quarter. • The Pacers opened the second half on a 10-2 run before Rivers called a timeout with 9:30 left in the third quarter of Game 2. • The Bucks trailed 15-8 on Saturday when Rivers called a timeout with 7:50 remaining in the first quarter of Game 1. • The Pacers opened the second half with a 7-4 run before Rivers called a timeout with 8:41 left in the third quarter of Game 1. On Tuesday, the Bucks swapped out Ryan Rollins for nine-time All-Star Damian Lillard, who made his return to action after missing over a month with a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) blood clot in his right calf, but the starters struggled in much the same way they did on Saturday. In more than 17 minutes together on Saturday, Milwaukee's starting lineup was outscored by 15 points. On Tuesday, the starters were outscored by nine points in a little more than 16 minutes. Rivers told reporters he'll explore a change to avoid another poor start in Game 3. 'We've gotten off to two poor starts, and we've got to make an adjustment there, for sure,' Rivers said. 'We'll just see. We have time. We have 48 hours. I'm not gonna tell you what I'm doing right now because I don't know, but we'll figure it out, I'm very confident about this series. Very.' Advertisement While no one told him that only 28 teams that have gone down 0-2 in a best-of-seven playoff series in NBA history have rallied to win it, Rivers made a callback to a scene in Cleveland from November during his postgame news conference. After the Bucks dropped to 1-6 on the season with a 116-114 loss to the Cavaliers on Nov. 4, Rivers was informed that only 12 of the 150 teams that had ever started 1-6 made the playoffs that season. Similarly to how he confidently said the Bucks would come back in this series after Tuesday's loss in Indianapolis, Rivers told reporters in Cleveland that night that his team would make the playoffs. If the Bucks are going to turn Rivers' confidence into a comeback in this series, something they haven't pulled off since they went down 2-0 to start the 2021 NBA Finals, they are going to need to improve significantly on defense. After two games, Milwaukee is sporting a 121.8 defensive rating, and plays like its first defensive possession of the game have been commonplace all series long. Look at the Bucks' second defensive possession of the game: With only one action, Haliburton broke down Milwaukee's defense and created an advantage for Pascal Siakam by forcing a late switch and late recovery. 'We just gotta contain the ball better,' Antetokounmpo said. 'I feel like they're taking us a lot off the dribble.' Everything starts with not getting beat off the dribble. But if Indiana creates an advantage off the bounce, Milwaukee has to do a better job of recovering with discipline. A breakdown cannot turn into a five-alarm fire with players running from all over the floor to put it out. Instead, the right players have to help from the right positions to maintain the integrity of the Bucks' defense. Advertisement 'I think our biggest thing is getting off to a good start,' said Bobby Portis, who had 28 points and 12 rebounds. 'We get off to a good start, we wouldn't even be talking about an offensive rebound. We follow the game plan and not give up strong-side corner for two 3s to start the first two minutes of the game, we wouldn't be talking offensive rebounds. That's six points right there we gave up for no reason helping strong side corner.' To get a better understanding of what Portis was referencing, let's take a closer look at the third defensive possession of the game: The Bucks switched five different actions to start this possession before Brook Lopez ended up on Haliburton. Eventually, Lopez gets beat off the dribble by Haliburton, but Portis' comment about not helping out of the strong-side corner means Antetokounmpo should not have helped at all and instead left Lopez on that island with Haliburton. The Pacers' All-Star point guard would have likely scored on that possession as he had gotten past Lopez, but the play brings about an interesting question that the Bucks have seemingly been unable to answer thus far: Is it better to give up a Haliburton look inside the paint or a catch-and-shoot 3 elsewhere on the floor? Whatever the Bucks decide, they will have to consistently execute their answer, because not consistently executing a game plan will create even more questions for the players on the court and even more defensive confusion. 'Communicate better, communicate early, so we know where the pick-and-roll, where the screen's coming from,' Antetokounmpo said. 'And help defense gotta be early. And what I mean, early, you gotta be in position early. You cannot see the play happening and then run in, because when you run in, you kinda commit late, and then they swing the ball for an open 3. And then you're playing on your heels. 'When they swing the ball for an open 3, they either can shoot it, drive it, they can swing to the corner two against one, and now we're just in scramble mode a lot. This team is like a really good team in making you play in scramble mode. They know how to drive a kick. They know to get in the paint and find the open man.' Advertisement Despite their poor starts to both halves, the Bucks managed to get back into the game. Antetokounmpo was dominant with 34 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists, and Portis hit big shots throughout the fourth quarter to chip away at Indiana's lead. The Bucks also found a switch-heavy defensive strategy that worked, as they held the Pacers to only 24 points in the fourth quarter. With a 3-pointer from 31 feet by Lillard, who put up 14 points and seven assists in 37 minutes in his first game in over a month, Milwaukee cut the deficit to two with 2:33 remaining. But then came one last back-breaking defensive breakdown: As the Bucks switched assignments for the first 20 seconds of the possession, they got caught looking at Andrew Nembhard driving to the rim and lost track of Siakam, who made them pay with a catch-and-shoot 3 from the right wing to effectively close the game. 'We didn't contain the ball much at all tonight,' Rivers said. 'They believe they have guys that can beat our guys off the dribble, so we have to do a better job.' If they cannot, their summer vacation will start a lot earlier than anyone would like. (Photo of Andrew Nembhard shooting over Giannis Antetokounmpo: Trevor Ruszkowski / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kyle Kuzma plays one of the worst games in playoff history, records zero counting stats in Bucks' loss to Pacers
Saturday was a bad day for the Milwaukee Bucks. It was even more so for forward Kyle Kuzma. The Bucks opened the NBA playoff schedule with a 117-98 loss to the Indiana Pacers. Kuzma had one of the worst individual playoff performances in league history in the losing effort. Kuzma started and played 21 minutes for a Bucks team playing shorthanded without All-Star Damian Lillard. He failed to record a single counting stat. Here's Kuzma's line for the game: 0-5 from the field0-2 from 30-2 from the FT line0 points0 rebounds0 assists0 steals0 blocks0 turnovers It added up to a game-worst -24 in the plus/minus column and a brutal day for the eighth-year NBA veteran making his first playoff appearance for the Bucks since joining them in the midseason trade that sent Khris Middleton to the Wizards. At least he didn't turn the ball over. Per multiple accounts, Kuzma is only the sixth player in NBA history to record zero counting stats while playing 20 or more minutes in a playoff game. Mike Dunleavy Jr. (2015), Bruce Bowen (2008), Brent Barry (2005), Michael Cage (1993) and Maurice Lucas (1986) are the others. As Kyle Kuzma checks out, he will be the sixth player to have at least a 20 trillion in a playoff others?Mike Dunleavy Jr. in 2015Bruce Bowen in 2008Brent Barry in 2005Michael Cage in 1993Maurice Lucas in 1986 — Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) April 19, 2025 Barry edges out Kuzma for the most playoff minutes played without a recorded contribution in a 22:12 appearance for the San Antonio Spurs against the Seattle SuperSonics in 2005. It is with much sadness that I must report Kyle Kuzma's performance today was not the statistical worst in NBA playoff history.21 minutes and 35 seconds played for Kuz today, 22:12 for Brent Barry on 5/17/2005 vs. the Sonics in Game 5 retains the title. — Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) April 19, 2025 But unlike Kuzma's Bucks, Barry's Spurs won that day. And unfortunately for Kuzma, his effort continues a season-long trend. By one statistical measure, Kuzma was one the worst players in the NBA regular season. Kuzma finished the season with -0.024 win shares per 48 minutes, which ranks 519th out of all NBA players and 179th out of 179 players to play enough minutes to qualify for the stat on Basketball Reference. The good news for the Bucks is that Lillard is expected to return for Game 2 or Game 3 of the series from the deep vein thrombosis that's sidelined him since March 18. But head coach Doc Rivers may need to adjust how he deploys Kuzma for the rest of the series.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kyle Kuzma plays one of the worst games in playoff history, records zero counting stats in Bucks' loss to Pacers
Kyle Kuzma plays one of the worst games in playoff history, records zero counting stats in Bucks' loss to Pacers Saturday was a bad day for the Milwaukee Bucks. It was even more so for forward Kyle Kuzma. The Bucks opened the NBA playoff schedule with a 117-98 loss to the Indiana Pacers. Kuzma had one of the worst individual playoff performances in league history in the losing effort. Advertisement Kuzma started and played 21 minutes for a Bucks team playing shorthanded without All-Star Damian Lillard. He failed to record a single counting stat. Here's Kuzma's line for the game: 0-5 from the field 0-2 from 3 0-2 from the FT line 0 points 0 rebounds 0 assists 0 steals 0 blocks 0 turnovers It added up to a game-worst -24 in the plus/minus column and a brutal day for the eighth-year NBA veteran making his first playoff appearance for the Bucks since joining them in the midseason trade that sent Khris Middleton to the Wizards. At least he didn't turn the ball over. Apr 19, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) dribbles the ball while Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma (18) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / Reuters) Kuzma's place in ignominious playoff history Per multiple accounts, Kuzma is only the sixth player in NBA history to record zero counting stats while playing 20 or more minutes in a playoff game. Mike Dunleavy Jr. (2015), Bruce Bowen (2008), Brent Barry (2005), Michael Cage (1993) and Maurice Lucas (1986) are the others. Barry edges out Kuzma for the most playoff minutes played without a recorded contribution in a 22:12 appearance for the San Antonio Spurs in 2005. But unlike Kuzma's Bucks, Barry's Spurs won that day. Advertisement And unfortunately for Kuzma, his effort continues a season-long trend. By one statistical measure, Kuzma was one the worst players in the NBA regular season. Kuzma finished the season with -0.024 win shares per 48 minutes, which ranks 519th out of all NBA players and 179th out of 179 players to play enough minutes to qualify for the stat on Basketball Reference. The good news for the Bucks is that Lillard is expected to return for Game 2 or Game 3 of the series from the deep-vein thrombosis that's sidelined him since March 18. But head coach Doc Rivers may need to adjust just how he deploys Kuzma for the rest of the series.
