Alex Caruso

Alex Caruso
Caruso with the Chicago Bulls in 2022
No. 9 – Oklahoma City Thunder
PositionPoint guard / shooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1994-02-28) February 28, 1994 (age 30)
College Station, Texas, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight186 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High schoolA&M Consolidated
(College Station, Texas)
CollegeTexas A&M (2012–2016)
NBA draft2016: undrafted
Playing career2016–present
Career history
2016–2017Oklahoma City Blue
2017–2021Los Angeles Lakers
2017–2019→South Bay Lakers
2021–2024Chicago Bulls
2024–presentOklahoma City Thunder
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Alex Michael Caruso[1] (born February 28, 1994)[2] is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Bald Mamba", in honor of Kobe Bryant, "the Bald Eagle", or "Carushow",[3][4] he played college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies, earning second-team all-Southeastern Conference (SEC) honors as a senior in 2016. He won an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 as well as earning selections to two consecutive all-defensive teams as a member of the Chicago Bulls in 2023 and 2024.

Early life

[edit]

Caruso attended A&M Consolidated High School in his native College Station, Texas, where he played basketball under head coaches Rusty Segler and Rick German. As a senior, he averaged 18 points and nine rebounds and was named TABC All-Regional, All-State as well as TABC All-Star and district MVP after leading his team to the postseason.[5]

College career

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Caruso shoots a free throw in 2015

After graduating from high school, Caruso joined the Texas A&M Aggies. In 137 games over his four-year career, he averaged 8.0 points, 4.7 assists and 2.02 steals per game, finishing as the school's all-time leader in assists with 649 and steals with 276, surpassing David Edwards in those categories.[6] As a senior he led the Aggies to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament; he also earned SEC All-Defensive Team and second-team All-SEC honors.[5][7]

Professional career

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Oklahoma City Blue (2016–2017)

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After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Caruso joined the Philadelphia 76ers for the 2016 NBA Summer League.[8] On September 23, 2016, he signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder,[7] but was later waived on October 17.[9] On November 3, he was acquired by the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA Development League.[10]

Los Angeles Lakers (2017–2021)

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Caruso joined the Lakers for the 2017 NBA Summer League. After several productive games, including one in which Caruso started in place of the injured Lonzo Ball and led the Lakers to a victory, he was signed to the Lakers' first two-way contract on July 13, 2017. He became the first player to go directly from the D-League (now G League) to the NBA via two-way contract.[11] He also helped lead the Lakers win the 2017 NBA Summer League Championship in Las Vegas. Caruso made his NBA debut on October 19, 2017, against the Los Angeles Clippers.[12] He played 12 minutes and recorded two points, two assists, and one rebound in a 108–92 loss. He had a career-high 15 points and seven rebounds in a victory in the final game of the season against the Clippers.[12]

Caruso signed another two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers after a successful showing in the 2018 NBA Summer League. On March 6, 2019, he recorded a season-high 15 points, six rebounds, and three assists in a 99–115 loss to the Denver Nuggets. He scored a new career-high 32 points in a 122–117 victory over the Clippers on April 5.[13] He also became the only Laker that season other than LeBron James to record a 30+ point, 10+ rebound, 5+ assist game.[14] On April 7, 2019, with the Lakers missing James for the remaining six games, Caruso scored 18 points with a career-high 11 assists in a 113–109 home win over the Utah Jazz.[15]

On July 6, 2019, Caruso signed a two-year contract with the Lakers worth $5.5 million.[16][17] He won his first NBA championship with them on October 11, 2020, when the Lakers defeated the Miami Heat in six games. Caruso started the clinching game of the NBA Finals. He became an unrestricted free agent after the 2020–21 season.[18]

Chicago Bulls (2021–2024)

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On August 10, 2021, Caruso signed a four-year, $37 million[19] contract with the Chicago Bulls.[20] Caruso chose to wear number 6 with the Bulls as his usual number 4 had been retired by the team in honor of Jerry Sloan.

On January 21, 2022, during a 90–94 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, Caruso was fouled by opposing guard Grayson Allen. Allen was ejected from the game. The next day, the Bulls announced that Caruso had a fractured right wrist and would undergo surgery, keeping him out for at least 6-to-8 weeks.[21]

At the end of the 2023 season, Caruso was named for the first time to the NBA All-Defensive First team.[22]

On October 27, 2023, Caruso put up 13 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block alongside a game-winning three-pointer in a 104–103 overtime win over the Toronto Raptors.[23]

Oklahoma City Thunder (2024–present)

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On June 21, 2024, Caruso was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Josh Giddey.[24]. The move reunited Caruso with Mark Daigneault who coached him during his tenure with the Oklahoma City Blue. On December 22, Caruso and the Thunder agreed to a four–year, $81 million contract extension.[25]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship  *  Led the league

NBA

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 L.A. Lakers 37 7 15.2 .431 .302 .700 1.8 2.0 .6 .3 3.6
2018–19 L.A. Lakers 25 4 21.2 .445 .480 .797 2.7 3.1 1.0 .4 9.2
2019–20† L.A. Lakers 64 2 18.4 .412 .333 .737 1.9 1.9 1.1 .3 5.5
2020–21 L.A. Lakers 58 6 21.0 .436 .401 .645 2.9 2.8 1.1 .3 6.4
2021–22 Chicago 41 18 28.0 .398 .333 .795 3.6 4.0 1.7 .4 7.4
2022–23 Chicago 67 36 23.5 .455 .364 .808 2.9 2.9 1.5 .7 5.6
2023–24 Chicago 71 57 28.7 .468 .408 .760 3.8 3.5 1.7 1.0 10.1
Career 363 130 22.7 .440 .380 .751 2.9 2.9 1.3 .5 6.8

Play-in

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021 L.A. Lakers 1 0 30.3 .500 .667 — 3.0 2.0 3.0 1.0 14.0
2023 Chicago 2 2 30.8 .526 .417 — 3.0 3.0 2.0 2.0 12.5
2024 Chicago 2 2 25.3 .364 .444 — 2.5 3.0 .5 .5 6.0
Career 5 4 28.5 .476 .458 — 2.8 2.8 1.6 1.2 10.2

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020† L.A. Lakers 21* 1 24.3 .425 .279 .800 2.3 2.8 1.1 .6 6.5
2021 L.A. Lakers 6 0 20.2 .368 .294 1.000 1.3 .5 .2 .7 5.8
2022 Chicago 4 4 28.3 .391 .389 – 2.8 4.3 1.3 1.0 6.3
Career 31 5 24.0 .408 .302 .813 2.2 2.5 .9 .6 6.4

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2012–13 Texas A&M 33 17 24.7 .373 .265 .600 3.2 3.4 1.8 .5 5.5
2013–14 Texas A&M 34 33 29.8 .460 .333 .685 3.6 5.0 2.0 .8 9.0
2014–15 Texas A&M 33 33 31.5 .463 .366 .685 4.5 5.5 2.1 .2 9.1
2015–16 Texas A&M 37 37 28.8 .502 .368 .785 3.6 5.0 2.1 .2 8.1
Career 137 120 28.7 .455 .340 .685 3.7 4.7 2.0 .4 8.0

Personal life

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Caruso has two sisters. His father played four years at Creighton and was an associate athletic director at Texas A&M.[5]

Caruso grew up around the A&M program, spending many seasons as a ball boy for the Aggies.[5] While studying at Texas A&M he majored in sports management.[5]

On June 22, 2021, Caruso was arrested at Easterwood Airport in College Station, Texas, for residual marijuana left on a grinder.[26]

On August 20, 2024, Caruso's engagement to former Big Brother contestant Haleigh Broucher was announced.[27]

References

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  1. ^ 2016 NBA Draft Media Guide (PDF). NBA. 2016. p. 36. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  2. ^ "Alex Caruso Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  3. ^ "How Lakers Guard Alex Caruso Really Feels About His 'Bald Mamba' Nickname". SportsCasting.com. June 5, 2021. Archived from the original on June 6, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  4. ^ "The People's Superstar in Los Angeles, Alex "Carushow"". Medium.com. February 19, 2021. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Texas A&M bio". The12thMan.com. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  6. ^ "Former Texas A&M basketball player David Edwards dead at 48". USA Today. Associated Press. March 25, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Thunder Adds Caruso, Tarczewski and Wright to Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. September 23, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  8. ^ Stuter, Bret (July 1, 2016). "Philadelphia 76ers Release Full Summer League Roster". TheSixerSense.com. Fansided. Archived from the original on April 16, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  9. ^ "Thunder sign Reggie Williams". NBA.com. October 17, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  10. ^ "Oklahoma City Blue Announces Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. November 3, 2016. Archived from the original on January 15, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  11. ^ "Lakers Sign Alex Caruso". NBA.com. July 13, 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  12. ^ a b "Alex Caruso makes NBA debut". KBTX.com. October 20, 2017. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  13. ^ Duarte, Michael (April 5, 2019). "Alex Caruso Scores Career-High 32 Points as Lakers Upset Clippers in Final Matchup of Season". NBCLosAngeles.com. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  14. ^ Irving, Kyle (April 4, 2019). "Alex Who is Alex Caruso? Fast facts on the Los Angeles Lakers guard". NBA.com. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  15. ^ Goldberg, Rob (April 8, 2019). "LeBron James-Less Lakers Beat Donovan Mitchell, Jazz as Alex Caruso Scores 18". BleacherReport.com. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  16. ^ Wells, Adam (July 6, 2019). "Lakers Rumors: Alex Caruso Re-Signs on 2-Year, $5.5M Contract". BleacherReport.com. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  17. ^ "Lakers' Alex Caruso: Returning to Lakers". CBSSports.com. July 6, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  18. ^ Turner, Broderick (June 4, 2021). "Lakers fan favorite Alex Caruso faces the unknown of free agency". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  19. ^ "Alex Caruso". Spotrac.com. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  20. ^ "Bulls Sign Alex Caruso". NBA.com. August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  21. ^ "Chicago Bulls G Alex Caruso to have surgery for fractured wrist, out 6 to 8 weeks, says team". ESPN.com. January 22, 2022. Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  22. ^ "Jaren Jackson Jr. headlines 2022-23 Kia NBA All-Defensive teams". NBA.com. May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  23. ^ Guinhawa, Angelo (October 27, 2023). "VIDEO: Alex Caruso sticks dagger in Raptors' hearts with ice-cold OT game-winner for Bulls". ClutchPoints.com. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  24. ^ "Thunder Acquires Alex Caruso". NBA.com. June 21, 2024. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  25. ^ "Thunder sign Alex Caruso to reported 4-year, $81 million extension". nba.com. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  26. ^ Tucker, Kassandra (June 22, 2021). "Alex Caruso arrested at Easterwood airport on marijuana charges". KBTX News 3. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  27. ^ "Meet Haleigh Broucher: NBA star Alex Caruso's former reality star fiancée". SI.com. August 31, 2024. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
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