Kuzma donates $1 million to his childhood YMCA in Flint originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Kyle Kuzma continues to make an impact beyond the hardwood.

The Washington Wizards forward just donated $1 million to the YMCA of Greater Flint, Michigan to build a new gymnasium. Funds will be donated through the Kyle Kuzma Foundation – a nonprofit directed towards impacting “children, young adults, and families through sports, education, and important life lessons” – to build a gym in downtown Flint which will be named after the NBA champion.

Per MLive.com, the gym will be able to host events in volleyball, pickleball and of course basketball. Hopes are that the facility will open in early 2025. 

“Growing up in Flint, the YMCA was very much my home away from home,” Kuzma said in a statement. “This donation is for the next generation and it’s my hope that this new facility can provide them with the same thing that it did for me: a place to dream.”

Kuzma has remained connected to Flint throughout his NBA career. He hit a game-winning shot for the Wizards to beat his childhood team, the Detroit Pistons last year and called it a “full-circle moment” for his career. He bought his mother and grandmother new homes in Michigan last year.

Donating to the Flint YMCA is the latest in a long list of charitable efforts Kuzma has made for his hometown. It started, he says, when he was a child and had to take the bus early in the morning during the summertime to shoot hoops there while his mother worked.

“Me being able to get to the Y early and play against the older guys at like 12 [noon] when they had their lunch break, and being able to stay until 5 to play with my guys, it helped shaped my life and who I am today,” he said.