Alex Caruso candidly discusses LeBron James' role in his NBA rise: "His love gave me confidence"
NBA guard Alex Caruso credited LeBron James for giving him a boost to get on track during the early stages of his career. Caruso struggled to make the jump to the pros after a successful college career with Texas A&M.
Teams passed on the 6-foot-5 utility man and Caruso went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft. He worked his way up the ranks in the NBA Development League before eventually earning a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. That move turned out to be a blessing for the Texas native.
During an interview with TexAgs Radio, Caruso spoke about the progress he has made since joining the league and the impact James had on his career.
"LeBron James’ love gave me confidence. Coming from someone of that stature ... that means a lot. It gave me the confidence in myself to believe that what I was doing was right. All I ever wanted was to be out there at the end of the game and have a chance to win," said Caruso
James, who Caruso referred to as arguably the greatest player in the game, had already won three NBA championships when the two teamed up on the Lakers in 2018. They were both members of the Lakers team that went on to win the franchise's 17th title, defeating the Miami Heat in 2020.
Caruso's impact was limited during his first few seasons, with the young guard utilized predomenantly as a role player. Over the years, however, he has developed into a day-to-day starter and one of the most effective defenders in his position.
Alex Caruso will battle LeBron James' Lakers in the West next season after a trade to the Thunder
An impressive stint with the Chicago Bulls meant that there was plenty of demand for a player possessing Alex Caruso's skill set. The 30-year-old was part of a blockbuster trade between the Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder this offseason that saw Australian guard Josh Giddey go to Chicago.
Caruso joins one of the most exciting and dynamic offenses in the Western Confernce. The Thunder boast a long list of young stars including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.
Caruso's experience will be extremely valuable for an organization that is coming off a strong season where they were eliminated in the Western Conference finals. The veteran guard, however, will have to get through his former teammate, LeBron James, and the Los Angeles Lakers if he hopes to lead Oklahoma City to its first-ever NBA championship.