Milwaukee Bucks ahead Kyle Kuzma criticized New York Metropolis Mayor Zohran Mamdani after the mayor instructed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs to be arrested throughout a deliberate go to to New York.
Kuzma, who has regularly spoken out towards progressive politics, argued that Mamdani was extra centered on creating consideration than governing the nation’s largest metropolis.
“That is 2026. Individuals cosplaying as issues they don’t have the authority, the expertise, or the observe document to really be. Only for content material,” Kuzma wrote on X in response to the mayor’s video.
“A mayor enjoying president. A founder enjoying operator. A content material creator enjoying one-on-one considering he’s a professional. A 25yr previous with a hoop gentle enjoying economist. Everybody auditioning. No one constructing,” he continued.
Kuzma additionally criticized what he described as a tradition constructed round appearances quite than achievement.
“Have been [sic] elevating a technology that studying the reward isn’t in doing the factor it’s in trying such as you did the factor. The clip is the profession. The pose is the product. The soundbite is the substitute for a life’s work,” he mentioned, concluding with “Don’t fall for distractions.”
After dealing with backlash on-line, Kuzma pushed again towards accusations that he was a Zionist.
“However someway, I’m a Zionist as a result of I’m stating issues which can be occurring in entrance of everybody’s face, however hey, that’s okay,” he wrote.
The criticism adopted Mamdani’s video describing Netanyahu as a “struggle prison” over Israel’s actions in Gaza whereas acknowledging he had no authority to arrest him throughout his anticipated go to for the UN Common Meeting.
Though the Worldwide Prison Court docket issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024, the US doesn’t acknowledge the court docket’s jurisdiction.
“As I’ve mentioned, I agree with the ICC that Benjamin Netanyahu needs to be arrested and tried for his crimes, as I do for anybody else charged by the ICC,” Mamdani mentioned.
“Benjamin Netanyahu isn’t welcome in New York Metropolis, neither is some other struggle prison at giant.”
Kuzma’s stance contrasts with fellow NBA gamers Kyrie Irving and Victor Wembanyama, who each favored Mamdani’s video on Instagram.
Whereas not Jewish, Kuzma has publicly supported Israel and his former Washington Wizards teammate Deni Avdija.
Following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas assaults, Kuzma wrote: “Simply horrible stuff occurring proper now and my prayers with them!!”
NBA star Kyle Kuzma blasts Mamdani for ‘cosplaying’ as ‘a mayor enjoying president’ after Netanyahu arrest fail https://t.co/UDhD0a4qaE pic.twitter.com/zAhVLQYlfy
— New York Put up (@nypost) July 27, 2026
