Ex-teammates Kyle Kuzma and LeBron James offer opposing reactions to Trump winning election

After Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump defeated Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in the election, LeBron James and Kyle Kuzma, a pair of former teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers, had contrasting reactions on the outcome.

Kuzma implied in a post on X that he’s glad Trump will spend another four years as the leader of the United States.

Conversely, James’ social media post the day after the election certainly had more of a somber vibe to it. On Instagram, he penned a message to his daughter and promised to protect her.

Kuzma and James were teammates on the Lakers for three seasons, from the 2018-19 season through the 2020-21 season. In their first season together, Los Angeles didn’t give fans of the team much to celebrate, considering the squad won just 37 regular-season games and missed the playoffs.

However, the Lakers won a title not long after that underwhelming campaign, getting the job done in the 2019-20 season. James and Kuzma were key components of the team that captured the storied franchise its 17th title.

During the 2020 NBA Playoffs, James averaged the second-most points per game of any player on the team while Kuzma averaged the fourth-most.

It’s also worth mentioning that even though Kuzma came off the bench in all 21 of Los Angeles’ playoff games, he still managed to average double digits in points during that span while shooting 43.0 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from 3-point range.

James still plays for the Lakers, but Kuzma is now a member of the Washington Wizards. The Lakers traded him to Washington in the 2021 offseason as part the deal that brought veteran guard Russell Westbrook to Los Angeles.

The Lakers and Wizards will play each other twice during the 2024-25 regular season, and both matchups will come in January. The first one (Jan. 21) will take place in Los Angeles while the second one (Jan. 30) will take place in Washington, D.C.