Kyle Kuzma's tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers officially came to a close on August 6th when he was shipped off in the Russell Westbrook trade to the Washington Wizards. For a player who spent the entirety of his NBA career to this point in Los Angeles, it was a sad ending for Kuz.

The former Lakers forward spoke to Players Tribune on what it really meant to be a Laker:

Out of all the surreal parts of being a Laker, the one I’ll cherish most might be this: the opportunity to play for fans who really love you. Checking into a game and scoring a couple big baskets, and just hearing the crowd roar KUUUUUZ in Staples Center…. Man, that feeling is electrifying. It’s something I’ll never ever forget. I have so many great memories from games. Like, the game I had 41 in three quarters. That was a possessed type of a game. It’s amazing how Staples is so in TUNE to those types of moments, those scoring barrages.

All those Kobe nights: whether it was 81, or 65, or 60 in his last game ever. Or even games where AD went crazy and had 45s, 50s. When a night like that happens, you see the Lakers fans gravitate to every basket. They want you to score every single time. And for me to actually have one of those nights, it was just…… surreal.
It’s almost like, when you have a great game as a Laker, it’s more than just a great game. It’s like it’s part of a legacy.

Kuzma was selected by the Brooklyn Nets 27th overall in the 2017 draft but was traded to the Lakers that same day. In four seasons with the team, he averaged 15.2 points and 5.6 rebounds and played a key part in LA's title run in 2020.

While his 2021 season wasn't as productive, the Lakers fans will definitely miss Kyle Kuzma.