Kyle Kuzma

Outside, the streets pulse with their usual urgency, but inside a quiet Manhattan hotel, the NBA Champion and cultural tastemaker is calm, reflective, and composed.

At 30, Kyle is no longer just the rookie who burst into Los Angeles with swagger and ambition. He is a seasoned presence, a disruptor in fashion, and a figure whose influence extends far beyond the court. This is a season of change: fresh from celebrating his milestone birthday, he’s engaged to his fiancée, beginning a new chapter with the Milwaukee Bucks, and now embarking on a global collaboration with single malt Scotch whisky, The Dalmore.

“I feel really great about this chapter,” he says, with calm assurance. “As I turn 30, it’s a lot of self-reflection and moving with purpose and intention, which is super important, especially at this age. You kind of understand what you want in life or what you’re moving towards. So, I would say life’s pretty good right now.”

That clarity is what makes his partnership with The Dalmore feel instinctive. The Highland distillery has built its reputation on artistry, patience, and innovation. Its motto, luceo non uro – “I shine, not burn” – could easily describe his own philosophy at 30: not chasing quick wins, but building something that endures. Their shared philosophy now comes to life in the third instalment of The Dalmore’s Cask Curation Series: The Red Wine Edition, a collection shaped by the vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and aged across three rare whiskies – 24, 34, and 43 years. Like Kyle, it is a story of origin and reinvention.

For Kyle, this new chapter begins with a sharpened sense of self. Unlike many public figures who curate an image for the world, he is most comfortable being exactly who he is.

“I would describe myself as being just authentically who I project to the world,” he says. “We live in a world where so many people project who they want the world to see, instead of who they actually are. With me, what you see is what you get at all times.”

That authenticity traces back to Flint, Michigan, where he was raised by his mother. The city has long carried the scars of industrial decline, and Kyle remembers clearly the challenges that surrounded him. Basketball offered an escape, but it was childhood itself that instilled humility, resilience, and a curiosity that defines his outlook on life.

“I think that’s the most important thing, being humble and being inquisitive,” he says. “Asking questions, not being a know-it-all, not pretending to know everything. I take pride in that. Obviously, I think I’m pretty smart, but I also believe you learn something every day.”

Through the Kyle Kuzma Family Foundation, he continues to champion opportunities for single mothers and underserved communities, never losing sight of where his journey started.

That grounding is something Kyle carries into every part of his life – whether on the court, in fashion, or in the partnerships he chooses. He sees progress not as leaving the past behind, but as building on it, shaping what comes next with intention.

For The Dalmore, heritage plays a similar role – provenance and continuity are not burdens but foundations for progress, with each generation building on the last. Its legacy is one of respect for tradition, paired with a constant drive to move forward. That same balance defines Kyle’s journey, rooted in where he’s from but always looking ahead.

If humility grounds him, work ethic propels him. Kyle is the first to admit that his journey has demanded far more than raw talent. Drafted by the Brooklyn Nets in 2017 and traded immediately to the Los Angeles Lakers, he entered the league with something to prove, and that edge has defined his rise ever since.

“It’s the makeup, the mental makeup of yourself and where you come from,” he says. “How I got here, how you get from point A to point B. You don’t get there by just moseying around. Sometimes you have to hop a fence, sometimes you crawl. Sometimes you sprint, sometimes you gallop. It’s all a different pace to get to where you want to go.”

That embrace of rhythm – knowing when to move and when to pause – mirrors The Dalmore’s philosophy of time. Just as each whisky draws depth from decades in oak, Kyle’s journey has been shaped by intensity tempered by patience. For both, the legacy lies not in speed, but in the quality that endures.

“It’s a lot of self-reflection and moving with purpose and intention.”

Travel may be unavoidable in Kyle’s life, but it has become far more than a by-product of his career. It has shaped his perspective of the world and, just as importantly, his perspective of himself. For him, travel is less about luxury and more about immersion – a chance to step inside other cultures and ways of living.

For The Dalmore, travel holds a similar significance. From the sherry bodegas of Jerez to the bourbon distilleries of Kentucky, the distillery has long looked beyond its Highland home, drawing influence and craft from around the world. Every journey adds nuance, and every encounter leaves its mark, shaping whiskies of remarkable depth.

In this way, travel does more than broaden horizons – it connects stories. For Kyle, it has shaped how he sees himself and the world around him. For The Dalmore, it has shaped the very character of its whisky. It is this shared spirit of discovery that now brings them together.

“I look for experiences of culture,” says Kyle, his curiosity extending beyond sightseeing to genuine connection. “I’m a big ‘when in Rome’ type of guy. I like to immerse myself in places where other people live and do what they do. Getting outside of my comfort zone is very important to me because I feel invigorated and very happy in those moments.”

From humble beginnings, the scale of Kyle’s life today is unimaginable: college in Utah, years in Los Angeles, Washington, and now Milwaukee, and countless journeys across the globe. Each has given him perspective.

France stands out most; a country that inspires him through art, architecture, and wine. “The French have immaculate taste,” says Kyle. “If you look at Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Cannes, Saint-Tropez, Nice, the arts are central there. You can be inspired just by walking down a small alley at night, or going to a museum, or looking at the architecture. It’s a very tasteful environment.”

Wine has become one of his great passions, beginning in his rookie year with the Lakers
and evolving into a collection of vintage reds. “What I love about red wine is that you can taste time,” he says. “When you open a bottle, it could be a 1985, a 1995, a 2012, and each one tastes different. Each has a story.”

The Cask Curation Series: Red Wine Edition draws from that same idea: three expressions, three stories of time and place. Each weaves flavour, character, and discovery, echoing Kyle’s belief that exploration abroad can transform what you create at home. It is a philosophy that finds expression not just in his life, but in the very casks chosen for this release.

For The Dalmore, red wine has long been a source of inspiration, not only for its depth of flavour but for the sense of place it carries. In the Red Wine Edition, casks from the celebrated vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape bring their own character into the whisky: the richness of sun-ripened grapes, the elegance of French terroir, and the influence of time spent in oak once steeped with wine. The result is a series that reinterprets red wine through whisky, weaving those notes into a single malt that reflects both Highland and French traditions.

If travel has shaped Kyle’s perspective, fashion has given him a voice. Over the past decade, he has emerged as one of the NBA’s style leaders, turning tunnel walks into cultural moments and carving out a presence on the covers of global magazines.

Kyle first captured headlines with bold choices: oversized knitwear, experimental tailoring, and couture-inspired details. From a bubblegum-pink Raf Simons sweater that went viral, to his floor-length puffer-skirt ensemble on the Puma runway in New York, his looks sparked both conversation and imitation.

“I believe your first impression is your best impression, and clothes play a huge part in that,” he says. “My love for art plays a huge part. When you talk about boldness or attention to detail, it’s about textures, fabrics, materials, the placement of things. I look at clothes the way I look at a painting, everything has to flow.”

More recently, his style has shifted towards timeless elegance, confident without the need for validation. For Kyle, fashion is about expressing authenticity, and at the heart of that authenticity is his belief that art and life are inseparable.

“Art is life, and life is art,” he says. “You gain inspiration from art. You understand the world by looking at it. You understand time and space, you can feel emotion. The best part is everyone’s vantage point is different. What I see may not be what you see, and we can have a conversation about it, gain some knowledge, maybe agree or disagree.”

It is that creative lens that links him once more to The Dalmore, where every detail is considered – from the selection of casks to the hand-made presentation case that houses this release.

The long voyages of the casks used in the creation of The Red Wine Cask Edition served as the inspiration for the design, brought to life by Italian luggage makers AB Florence. The result is a presentation case that reflects the same spirit of journey and refinement as the whisky within.

From the start of his career, Kyle has carried a disruptive energy – not chaos, but a refusal to follow the script. He wasn’t supposed to make the impact he did as a rookie or win a championship so early, yet each time he defied expectation. Off the court, his approach has been just as bold: turning the NBA tunnel into a runway, experimenting with silhouettes and brands, and reshaping how athletes are seen in fashion.

“I’d say that if you look at how I came into my career, I wasn’t supposed to be drafted, but I led the team in scoring as a rookie,” he says. “I was supposed to get traded, but I didn’t, and then I won a championship. A lot of things that weren’t supposed to happen, happened. In fashion, I’ve been disruptive, wearing different clothes, making the NBA tunnel more couture, playing with silhouettes, experimenting with shoes and brands. For athletes, that’s disruptive and I don’t think that’s a bad word. It doesn’t mean havoc, it means throwing a wrinkle into things, doing something different.”

That philosophy is echoed at The Dalmore. For more than 180 years, the Highland distillery has been quietly doing things differently, sourcing casks from the world’s finest wineries and bodegas to create whiskies unlike any other. Its willingness to look outward, to disrupt tradition in pursuit of greater depth, has set it apart within the industry.

Innovation, then, is the common ground: for Kyle, a way to push boundaries in sport and culture; for The Dalmore, a way to redefine what whisky can be. Both prove that disruption is not chaos but progress, a deliberate decision to do things differently in order to leave a lasting mark.

“Art is life, and life is art.”

For all their shared ambition, Kyle and The Dalmore understand the value of quiet moments. Whisky is not defined by flavour alone, but by the conversations it sparks and the moments it anchors. Ultimately, true connection is its greatest measure.

“Beyond it being a spirit I enjoy, one thing I love about spirits is the conversation aspect,” says Kyle. “When you’re sitting at a table, having conversations about life and perspectives – all while drinking a spirit – that brings people together.

“And that’s what I find interesting, they all have a different flavour depending on the moment. I look at whisky in a similar way to red wine. I don’t see whisky and red wine as the same as tequila or vodka. If I want to party, I’ll drink something else. But if I want to have a conversation or wind down, that’s the perfect time for whisky.”

Authenticity guides every decision Kyle makes, including who he collaborates with. “That’s number one: being authentic to myself and what I enjoy,” he says. “Beyond just the taste, it’s the way The Dalmore moves in the business and spirits world. You don’t see too much of it, and it has this sense of rarity.”

Even in a life that feels relentless, he recognises the need to pause. “Life moves very fast for me, often uncontrollably, with the way I live and the things that come my way,” he says. “But it’s important to take a couple of minutes each day for yourself, to breathe, to reset.”

It is this balance – ambition and stillness, disruption and reflection – that makes Kyle’s partnership with The Dalmore more than a collaboration. Like the Red Wine Cask Edition, his story is one of provenance and patience, discovery and artistry. Both are built not just for the present, but for the future.

Together they embody a philosophy that transcends sport, style, or whisky: to shine, not burn – a reminder, as Kyle himself puts it, to move with purpose and intention.