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Report: Lakers' Kyle Kuzma Took $9,500 From NBA Agent While Still At Utah

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma allegedly received at least $9,500 from an NBA agent while he was still playing college ball at Utah, according to a report Friday.

Documents and bank records cited by Yahoo Sports showed Kuzma and several other current NBA players were given cash advances and had entertainment and travel expenses paid by former NBA agent Andy Miller, former associate Christian Dawkins, and the ASM Sports agency.

Kuzma, whose mother has reportedly denied the allegation, was named first-team all-conference in the Pac-12 as a junior in 2016–17 for the Utes.

Ironically, Kuzma took aim at the NCAA in a tweet Tuesday in response to the organization's decision to strip Louisville of its 2013 national title in the wake of an escort scandal that tainted the school's championship season.

Kuzma wrote, "Someone take down the ncaa for generating billions of dollars to only to [sic] pay its student athletes a cost of attendance of a $900 dollars a month."

Former Maryland center and Clippers draft night acquisition Diamond Stone was also named in the report after he allegedly was paid over $14,000. Stone is currently playing for the Clippers G-League team.

Other players named in the report for allegedly receiving money while in school include:

Dennis Smith Jr (NC State)- $73,500
Isaiah Whitehead (Seton Hall)- $37,657
BAM Adebayo (Kentucky) - $36,500
Markelle Fultz (Wash) - $10,000
Josh Jackson (Kansas) - $2,700

Also named in the report were current USC players Bennie Boatwright and Chimezie Metu, who allegedly were paid at least $2,000 to either themselves or close associates, according to Yahoo Sports.

A statement from NCAA president Mark Emmert cited by Yahoo Sports read in part: "These allegations, if true, point to systematic failures that must be fixed and fixed now if we want college sports in America. Simply put, people who engage in this kind of behavior have no place in college sports. They are an affront to all those who play by the rules."

Click here to read the full report.

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