“Them dudes was getting it in, doing whatever they wanted… Not as obsessed with the athlete unless it was like a MJ” - Former NBA champion says the players are not like the players from the 1980s and '90s

Kyle Kuzma is far from being the NBA's best player, yet at one point, he drew a lot of media coverage. The forward has been in the league for five years and has received a lot of criticism.

The criticism came mostly because he was playing for the LA Lakers with LeBron James. Playing on a big-market team always puts players under the microscope, especially when playing next to the second-best player in league history.

On "The Draymond Green Show," Kuzma shared his thoughts about different eras of the NBA:

"We're not like the old 1980s, the 1990s athletes ... it was only basketball. You could not do anything. Them dudes was getting it in, doing whatever they wanted to do. You just didn't see it."

It's hard to disagree with Kuzma as there was no widespread internet then. Nowadays, however, it is easy to follow athletes and get updates on their personal lives every day.

Kyle Kuzma knows what it means to be criticized

Kyle Kuzma was one of the best rookies in his class. In his first year in the NBA, the 6-foot-9 forward averaged 16.1 points per game and was a decent scorer from every range. He made the 2017-18 All-Rookie team.

However, LeBron James joined Kuzma in Los Angeles in his sophomore year, and this is when the young star was put in the spotlight. Despite playing solid basketball, the then-Lakers forward was criticized for almost every aspect of his game.

Kuzma now plays for the Washington Wizards, where he doesn't have to deal with too much criticism. While he understands he needs to improve his game, a lot of comments he's received were unfair.

Kuzma compared the current era with older generations who didn't have to deal with social media:

"People weren't as obsessed with the athlete unless it was, like, MJ (Michael Jordan), a (Derek) Jeter, somebody of that magnitude that was so overbearing, over-powerful beyond just, like, how we are with social media. Anybody can be famous now. Back then, it was different."

A few decades ago, NBA players did not have to deal with criticism from random people on social media. However, things are different now, affecting many players.

Kuzma has achieved much in his career

Despite what some fans may say, Kuzma has achieved a lot in his short career. He was one of the best rookies in his class before winning a championship with the Lakers in 2020.

He is coming off one of the best seasons as he averaged 17.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game with the Wizards. The forward has two more years left on his contract and is hoping to bring success to Washington with Bradley Beal.