Why is Alex Caruso called Goat? Reason behind ex-Lakers' flattering moniker explored
Alex Caruso has become a fan favorite in the entire NBA. The 29-year-old goes by a lot of nicknames: from the 'Bald Mamba', 'Bald Eagle' to 'Carushow'. However, the most popular of his nicknames would be 'The GOAT'.
Obviously, Caruso is not the 'Greatest Of All Time'. In fact, the backstory as to why he is called 'The GOAT' is quite interesting.
The nickname 'The GOAT' actually came from Caruso's former Los Angeles Lakers teammate, LeBron James. The four-time NBA champion right now is very hot on 'GOAT' debates as he is compared constantly with Michael Jordan.
With James giving him the nickname, everyone has been following through. Caruso has said that he finds the nickname amusing.
“It’s funny. Every time it comes up, it’s funny. It has kind of lost its pop to me because everyone on the team says it now, but when it first started happening it was funny and it was a good laugh. Everyone still enjoys it and they’re still saying it," Caruso told the Los Angeles Times.
In 2020, Caruso contributed to the success of the Lakers and captured the championship inside the NBA bubble. During the playoffs, he averaged 6.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists. The numbers may not show it, but he was very significant with the intangibles and locking down the opposing team's best ball handlers.
Caruso's intense play has been acknowledged by his teammates and he still finds it odd that he is called 'The GOAT' even by his peers.
“The outside world might be taking it in basketball terms but I think when my teammates say it, they’re just speaking to the kind of teammate I am and the kind of guy I am. I’m just another one of the guys who happens to be really good at basketball and don’t look like I should be.”
Alex Caruso getting the 2023 NBA All-Defensive First Team honors
After spending his first four years with the Los Angeles Lakers, Alex Caruso was traded to the Chicago Bulls in the 2021-22 NBA season. Nothing has changed as his hard-nosed work habits remains.
At the end of the 2022-23 NBA season, 'The GOAT' was honored by being named part of the 2023 NBA All-Defensive first team along with DPOY Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies, Cleveland Cavaliers' Evan Mobley, and Brook Lopez and Jrue Holiday of the Milwaukee Bucks.