Former Ute Kyle Kuzma Begins Game 4 Postgame Talking About Jacob Blake Shooting

ORLANDO, Fla. – Former Utah Utes star and current Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma started his press conference after their Game 4 win talking about the Jacob Blake shooting in Wisconsin.

Kuzma scored 18 points in the Lakers’ 135-115 win over the Portland Trail Blazers to take a 3-1 series lead.

When the game concluded, Kuzma joined the local media via Zoom and before he started taking questions, he addressed the situation that happened on Sunday with Jacob Blake.

“I just want to put the notice out there of the Jacob Blake situation in Milwaukee,” Kuzma said. “Just such a terrible situation that we’re going through in this country still, after so many years of this it’s kind of depressing. For a man to get shot seven times by cops, unarmed, in front of his kids, that his kids will, you know, probably remember for the rest of their lives. That’s scary and not only for me but you know, every African American, every minority in this country.”

“For people that have a platform, we will continue to say your name and get justice for you.”@kylekuzma addresses the police shooting of Jacob Blake. pic.twitter.com/YaXqFyZlf9

— NBA TV (@NBATV) August 25, 2020

Kuzma added that those with a platform will continue to say his name and demand justice.

“It is something that we need to continue to work on as a society to change because quite frankly, it’s disgusting,” Kuzma added. “To have multiple cops around and not even thinking about a taser. Or even forget the taser, just simple combat, taking a man down instead of trying to shoot them. That has to change. If you watch the video, you have cops running up to the car and you want to talk about thugs all the time, you have cops shooting guys, you know, that’s not it. We have to change that, we have to continue to speak about and harp on it. To the Jacob Blake family, we just want to let you know for people that have a platform to say your name and get justice for you, along with Breonna Taylor, every other victim of police brutality.”

Jacob Blake

On Sunday evening in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Jacob Blake went around the front of a gray SUV with two police officers following behind him. When Blake entered the driver side of the car and opened the door, video shows the nearest officer grabbing Blake’s tank top and seven shots were fired. According to Blake’s attorney, his three children were in the car.

Blake was taken to the hospital where he is currently in stable condition in an intensive care unit, according to his attorney.

Blake was allegedly breaking up a fight between two women that had the police called to the home where Blake was at when he was shot.

Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports. You can download and listen to the podcast, here.