An NBA player raised eyebrows when he bashed New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for posturing as if he planned to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu despite not having the authority to do so.
In a post on X, Milwaukee Bucks’ Kyle Kuzma blasted the mayor for "cosplaying as things they don’t have the authority, the talent, or the track record to actually be.”
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.
He continued, saying Americans are “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. Don't fall for distractions,” Kuzma concluded.
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.
— kuz (@kylekuzma) July 26, 2026
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… https://t.co/e4aM17CzSC
Mamdani promised during his campaign to enforce an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Netanyahu if he visited the city. President Donald Trump issued a statement saying the prime minister is not to be arrested when he comes to the United States.
Mamdani posted a video last week in which he said Netanyahu “is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people.” He further stated that the prime minister “is responsible for the killing of more than 73,000 people, for the maiming of tens of thousands of children.”
Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal. pic.twitter.com/YRezmW6YVx
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) July 22, 2026
However, the mayor later admitted that he does not possess the authority to arrest Netanyahu, but stressed that he “is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large.”
Netanyahu responded on Fox News by accusing Mamdani of “fomenting hate.” He said he planned to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York in the fall despite the mayor’s threats.
My answer to Mamdani: I will come to New York to fight for the truth of the Jewish people 🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/loZCQNBMx8
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) July 26, 2026
“What Mamdani is supporting, his wife, his family — he celebrated Oct. 7 massacre, the worst massacre against Jews since the Holocaust,” he said.