Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma is taking aim at New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after the mayor publicly floated the idea of arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his planned visit to New York later this year, accusing Mamdani of prioritizing political theater over governing the nation’s largest city.
Kuzma blasted the mayor on social media Sunday, arguing that Mamdani’s recent video statement demonstrated a greater focus on generating attention than addressing the responsibilities of leading New York City.
“This is 2026. People cosplaying as things they don’t have the authority, the talent, or the track record to actually be. Just for content,” Kuzma wrote on X in response to Mamdani’s video.
The NBA veteran expanded on his criticism by suggesting that too many public figures are attempting to portray themselves as something they are not rather than accomplishing meaningful work.
“A mayor playing president. A founder playing operator. A content creator playing one-on-one thinking he’s a pro. A 25yr old with a ring light playing economist. Everyone auditioning. Nobody building,” Kuzma continued.
He also criticized what he described as a culture that rewards appearances over substance.
“Were [sic] raising a generation that learning the reward isn’t in doing the thing it’s in looking like you did the thing. The clip is the career. The pose is the product. The soundbite is the substitute for a life’s work,” Kuzma wrote before concluding, “Don’t fall for distractions.”
The criticism followed a video released by Mamdani last week in which the mayor referred to Netanyahu as a “war criminal” over Israel’s actions in Gaza while discussing the Israeli leader’s expected trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly in September.
Although Mamdani said his administration had examined possible legal options, he acknowledged that New York City lacks the authority to arrest the Israeli prime minister.
“As I’ve said, I agree with the ICC that Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested and tried for his crimes, as I do for anyone else charged by the ICC,” Mamdani said in the video.
“Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large.”
The International Criminal Court, which the United States does not recognize, issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Mamdani’s remarks came one day after President Donald Trump declared that Netanyahu “will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America.”
According to Fox News, Kuzma has become one of the NBA’s most outspoken critics of progressive politics.
His comments also stood in contrast to the reaction from other prominent NBA players. Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving and San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama both liked Mamdani’s controversial Instagram video, highlighting differing responses among some of the league’s biggest stars to the mayor’s remarks.
[READ MORE: Netanyahu Blasts NYC Mayor Mamdani, Says Anti-Israel Rhetoric Is Fueling Fear Among Jewish New Yorkers]
