Lakers' Kyle Kuzma Talks Being Starstruck by LeBron James, Denzel Washington

Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma is teammates with LeBron James now, but it wasn't that long ago that he was starstruck by the King.

During a conversation with Portland Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony, Kuzma said being on the court at the same time as James during his rookie campaign in 2017-18 was the first time he was starstruck (around the 36-minute mark).

James was on the Cleveland Cavaliers at the time and made his eighth straight NBA Finals appearance later that season. It is certainly understandable that Kuzma, who is 24 years old and surely grew up watching LeBron dominate the league, would be starstruck in that welcome-to-the-NBA moment.  

Kuzma also told Anthony the last time he was starstruck was talking to actor Denzel Washington.

The University of Utah product is now trying to do something James has done three times: win a championship.

He was one of the only young core pieces the Lakers kept around when they traded Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart to the New Orleans Pelicans for Anthony Davis, and he has gone from starstruck youngster to key teammate in James' title pursuit.

Los Angeles has the best record in the Western Conference at 49-14 and is well-positioned to compete for a title when the season restarts.