The year was 2022, and Kyle Kuzma was on top of his game. A highly touted prospect out of Pittsburgh, he dominated the league, averaging 14.8 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists in 26.3 minutes per game. It didn't take long for teams in the PBSL to take notice; in fact, Kyle Kuzma was an almost instant celebrity with a cult following of fans. Scouts from almost every PBSL team attended every game he played, eager to take notes and get a glimpse of a potential superstar in the making. Before he knew it, he was giving interviews on local television stations and even on ESPN, who were almost too eager to turn him into the face of the future for the PBSL.
Unfortunately for Kuzma, this constant media attention was almost too overwhelming. Despite his valiant efforts to avoid all the press from the media and his cult following of fans, he struggled to find privacy—and because of this, he quickly developed anxiety—and it reflected in his game. Soon, he began missing shots and making turnovers, baffling fans and scouts alike. One scout even wrote in an article, "You could see the dread in his face, the struggle in his eyes: He's truly at a loss out there on the basketball court. It's almost as if he has no clue what he's doing anymore and because of that, he's truly hurting his draft prospects."
Nevertheless, despite his struggles, he persevered, helping his team in any which way he could. Rather than becoming a primary ball handler with a penchant for scoring the basketball, he began to play with a more fluid style, which only impressed scouts even more because it demonstrated just how versatile he was as a ballplayer—especially given his position at shooting guard. He quickly rose above the criticism of yesterday and once again became the poster boy of the draft, illustrating just how dominant he can be as not only a player, but a field general as well.
And after just 36 games played in his rookie season at Pittsburgh, he felt ready enough to announce that he was going to opt into the 2023 draft. Writers and critics alike wondered if an 18 year old was truly prepared for the aggressive, rough and tumble style of the PBSL. But Kyle Kuzma had confidence; he had the drive to succeed. He had waited his entire life for this, and nobody was going to stop him—and he was going to make sure of it.
As draft day rapidly approached, sports pundits couldn't help wonder where he'd fall in the draft. Would his mid-season struggles hurt his chances at being drafted #1 overall? And how about his reluctance to talk with the media—was there something bothering him, did he have an attitude problem? Was he not as "clutch" as they had originally thought? Well, they were about to find out.
With the first pick in the 2023 PBSL Draft, the Charlotte Bobcats select... Kyle Kuzma out of Pittsburgh University.
The crowd's reaction was so loud, it was almost enough to blow the roof off the arena. Finally, Kyle Kuzma had reached the summit; he was calm, he was humble, but most of all he was confident that his abilities would easily translate in the PBSL. With his fist raised in the air, he nodded his head in agreement with his legion of fans, who came out en mass to the draft to support their basketball hero. He was ready. And the world knew he was ready. But somewhere deep down inside of him, anxieties were brewing once again, and he couldn't help but wonder if he was truly prepared for what he was about to face: Could he actually handle the likes of Anthony Davis, as well as other top-tier stars? Of course, rookies are never expected to make an instant impact, but he felt that if he didn't, people would label him a "bust"—and these such thoughts kept him up at night. He needed to find peace of mind; he needed a way to calm his anxieties. After the draft, Kyle Kuzma spent several nights tossing and turning in bed, haunted by thoughts of failure, haunted by thoughts of being dominated so badly, that it would destroy his confidence and his self-image.
He had to face the facts: He suffered from anxiety, whether socially or generalized. He knew he had to do something about it—and that's when he first discovered the troubling world of prescription pills.
A few days later, Kyle Kuzma sought out a psychiatrist, who was eager to help this young man come to his senses. At first, the doctor recommended that he see a therapist, and Kyle Kuzma agreed that therapy would help and he would indeed seek one out. But in the meantime, the doctor had a quick remedy for his troubles: alprazolam, a drug otherwise known as Xanax. And this is where the trouble first began.
It wasn't long before he was back on the court, practicing as members of the media gathered to take photographs and write articles, eager to interview him—and Kyle Kuzma was more than happy to indulge their interests, for he had nothing to worry about: He had Xanax, his new best friend. He was doing interviews with members of the press—even posing in pictures with fans with the brightest, happiest grin on his face. He felt on top of the world, almost as if he could conquer any problem that came his way.
But what Kyle Kuzma didn't realize was that benzodiazepines—a class of drugs collectively also known as anxiolytic drugs—are incredibly addictive. They make you feel confident and they ease your mind of the stresses and anxieties that otherwise hold you back from being yourself in everyday life. And it wasn't long before Kyle Kuzma began to develop a tolerance for Xanax, of which he thought he had a never-ending supply of. As preseason rapidly approached, he began increasing his dosages: First, he raised his dosage from .5mg to 1mg, and then from 1mg to 1.5mg, and then finally, from 1.5mg to 2.5mg—an otherwise unnecessarily high and dangerous dose. However, he felt as if he had no problems in the world. He wasn't even afraid of withdrawal because he was so cool and collected. But he had every reason to be afraid, for withdrawal from benzodiazepines can be deadly, resulting in seizures.
Once preseason began, Kyle Kuzma was ready, calm, and confident enough to show off his abilities. It was actually a miracle that he was able to perform so well on the court. It was a miracle that he wasn't collapsing or blacking out. Nevertheless, he continued to dominate preseason, averaging roughly 20 points per game. Fans were elated with his successes: They truly felt as if they had a budding star on their hands. They felt as if he would make an immediate impact in the league. But as pressure and his drug tolerance built, he quickly found himself taking even more and more. And it wasn't long before his psychiatrist found out—and boy was he mad.
"Kyle, I warned you about the dangers of this drug, and you disappointed me by completing your entire prescription within a mere month. I'm sorry Kyle, but we're going to have to start a tapering process to get you off this drug. We're going to have to lessen your dosage until you're no longer on it. It's only the right thing to do, for your health, I mean" said Dr. Shaftsucker, his psychiatrist.
Kyle was distraught. He was heartbroken. What was he going to do? He had no idea. All he knew was that he was screwed. He was going to have to do this on his own, stress or no stress. It was going to be one hell of a mountain to climb. And so, the tapering process began and the doctor quickly began the tapering process, which at first was too much for Kyle to handle.
The season was about to begin and Kyle was only down to 1mg of Xanax. He had no choice but to stop abusing. He had no choice but to face reality from a sober perspective. But, deep down inside, a storm loomed: He knew, some way, somehow, he could do this on his own. If he could prove the critics wrong in college, he could do it in the PBSL.
And in his very first game with the Charlotte Bobcats, he started. He played 36 minutes, shooting 8-19 and scoring 17 points—albeit coming at a loss. In his second game, he scored 16 points with 6 assists—once again, coming at a loss. It wasn't until his 5th game that the Bobcats earned their first victory of the season—behind Kyle Kuzma's 27 points, 7 assists, and 3 rebounds. He finally proved that he could do this without the need for anxiety medication.
That season, Kyle Kuzma progressively got better and better, proving his value to this otherwise struggling franchise. In 69 games, he averaged 36.1 minutes, a stunning 20.2 points, 3 rebounds, and 4.1 assists—not too shabby for a rookie. He quickly became an instant star that season, earning Rookie of the Year and made the PBSL All-Rookie First Team. He climbed the summit. He finally made it.
And that's the story of how Kyle Kuzma escaped the pressures of everyday life, as well as his struggles with substance abuse. He proved to not only his team, his legion of fans, and all the critics and sports pundits—he proved it to himself.
