UrbanUpdate

Kyle Kuzma is coming off of the best all-around season of his young career. After reaching new career highs and milestones—like notching his first triple double—in his first year with the Washington Wizards, the NBA champion came into his sixth year in the league hungry. Unlike summers past, 27-year-old pro hooper kicked off his personal off-season training earlier than usual, with a locked-in mindset. 

Not only has Kuz been spending more time in the gym, he’s also put time in on the runways. Prior to landing a spot as a model during New York Fashion Week, the player became a viral sensation by walking through the NBA tunnel in an oversized pink sweatshirt (which will be memorialized as a bobblehead giveaway at Capital One Arena in January).  GQ caught up with the 27-year-old rising basketball star to talk about Internet-breaking outfits, his off-season diet, and the best advice he got from Kobe Bryant.

Read MoreKyle Kuzma’s Giant Pink Sweater Is Actually Good

In defense of a much-maligned piece of NBA tunnel style.

By Eileen Cartter

GQ: When do you start preparing for the upcoming season? Do you give yourself time to just chill and not think about basketball for a little bit?

Yea and usually that’s a little longer period, but this off-season, I really didn’t take any time off. I took maybe a month off from playing basketball, but I was still taking care of my body. I was getting massages and lifting, so that never really stopped. I always have decompression time, but this summer was a lot shorter.

Is there anything specific you added to your game this season? 

It’s all about mentality at this point. I just want to be the best version of myself and being the best leader that I can so I can help other players get better. That’s my main focus. A lot of the times when you set expectations or focus too much on what you’re trying to add, you forget all the great things that you already do. It’s all those little things that make the big things go.

When it comes to nutrition, are there any differences to how fuel in the off-season compared to when you’re in the regular season?

In the off-season, I’m a little more lenient. Obviously, I’m not playing as many times, so there are a bit more cheat meals in the off-season. But for me, I’m so addicted to my body and trying to be in the right place and the right mindset that I just try to eat healthy as much as I can.

What are some things you’re reaching for when it’s time for a cheat meal?

Pasta. That’s my cheat meal because I don’t eat that many carbs, especially in the off-season. During the regular season, I have to because of all the travel and games, playing professionally. But for now, pasta for sure. Actually, I just had pasta the other day for the first time in two months. It was amazing.

So, take me through a typical day of what you’re eating.

For breakfast, I’ll usually have eggs Benedict with almond flour bread that’s gluten free. For lunch, I’ll probably have some steak tacos with a cauliflower shell. For dinner, I’ll probably have some lamb chop or steak. That’s always the same to type of vibe.

You’re heading into you second season playing in D.C., what do you think of the food scene in the city?

D.C. is an international city. It’s beautiful. There’s so many different cultures and ethnicities, so what comes with that is also a lot of great food.

Have you tried mumbo sauce yet?

One hundred percent. It’s very good. It’s so good that I asked my chef to make a version of it.

Earlier in your career, you were one of the few young players that got to work out with Kobe Bryant before he passed. What were some things from those workouts that you remember?

Advice was the biggest thing. It’s hard to physically get better just working out with someone a couple times. You need a lot more repetition than just a few days. But getting advice from someone that’s lived your type of life, at to the highest capacity, and to a level that you may not even be able to reach is always more valuable. To get knowledge and advice from a person as significant as Kobe—you’re going to hold on to that for the rest of your life.

Anything specific that he said or passed down to you?

Yea and I share this with everybody: Keeping the main thing the main thing. If I don’t keep basketball my priority and objective in my career, I probably wouldn’t be on this phone call or I wouldn’t have these nice things or I wouldn’t have a deal with Stella, so it’s always about prioritizing what’s most important and keeping that the focus.

Speaking of Stella, when do you reward yourself with a cold beer?

On a sunny day when I’m laying by the pool. That’s number one. I do love alcohol and beer is a great one and Stella is the perfect match for me.

What made you want to hook up with a beer brand?

Basically, it was just a fit for who we both are as brands. Stella is a brand that represents luxury compared to other beer companies. For me, I wanted to connect with a brand that matches who I am as a person. I like classy things and Stella Artois is that for beer.

You’ve had some pretty conversation-worthy outfits. I saw you pinned that photo of yourself in the pink sweatshirt to your Instagram profile. Why’d you want to do that?

That was an iconic moment in my life. I think it’s important for people to see that. I wore a pink sweater that took over social media. Everybody saw it. Why not make that the first thing you see on my page because you may not even know who I am, but you know that someone wore a crazy pink sweater.

When you wore it that day, did you think it would take the world by storm?

I knew a lot of people were going to say something about it, but I didn’t realize at the time the significance of it.

What don’t people know about that outfit?

That it was actually heavy as hell. That’s the number one thing you wouldn’t see from the photo. But it was worth it, though.

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