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Alex Caruso is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed the Bald Mamba in honour of Kobe Bryant, Caruso began his career in the NBA G League before signing with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017. He won an NBA championship with the Lakers in 2020 and later signed with the Chicago Bulls in 2021. Caruso was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2024, where he is known for his defensive abilities.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Alex Michael Caruso |
| Nicknames | Bald Mamba, CarusGOAT, Carushow |
| Date of Birth | February 28, 1994 |
| Height | 6-foot-5 |
| College | Texas A&M University |
| Major | Sports Management |
| NBA Teams | Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Awards | NBA Hustle Award (2023-24), NBA Championship (2020) |
| Notable Games | 15 points, 7 rebounds (vs. Clippers, 2017), 32 points (vs. Clippers, April 5, 2019), 18 points, 11 assists (vs. Utah Jazz, April 7, 2019) |
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Alex Caruso's career in the NBA
Alex Michael Caruso, nicknamed the "Bald Mamba", is an American professional basketball player currently with the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Caruso was born in College Station, Texas, and played basketball at A&M Consolidated High School, where he averaged 18 points and nine rebounds in his senior year, leading his team to the postseason. He then went on to play college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies, earning second-team all-Southeastern Conference (SEC) honours as a senior in 2016.
Caruso joined the Lakers for the 2017 NBA Summer League and impressed with his performance, leading the team to victory in several games. He became the first player to go directly from the D-League (now G League) to the NBA via a two-way contract, which he signed with the Lakers on July 13, 2017. Caruso made his NBA debut on October 19, 2017, against the Los Angeles Clippers, playing 12 minutes and recording two points, two assists, and one rebound. He continued to improve and establish himself in the team, signing another two-way contract with the Lakers after a successful 2018 NBA Summer League. On April 5, 2019, he scored a career-high 32 points in a victory over the Clippers.
On July 6, 2019, Caruso signed a two-year contract with the Lakers worth $5.5 million. He won his first NBA championship with the team in 2020, defeating the Miami Heat in six games. After the 2020–21 season, Caruso became an unrestricted free agent and signed a four-year, $37 million contract with the Chicago Bulls on August 10, 2021. However, his time with the Bulls was marred by an injury sustained during a game against the Milwaukee Bucks in January 2022, which kept him out for several weeks. Despite this setback, Caruso was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team at the end of the 2023 season and won the NBA Hustle Award in 2023–24.
On June 21, 2024, Caruso was traded back to the Oklahoma City Thunder, reuniting with coach Mark Daigneault. He agreed to a four-year, $81 million contract extension with the Thunder, with his defensive abilities and ability to spread the floor being key to the team's success.
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College basketball at Texas A&M
Alex Michael Caruso is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed the "Bald Mamba", Caruso played college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies, earning second-team all-Southeastern Conference (SEC) honours as a senior in 2016. He 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, TABC All-Star, and district MVP after leading his team to the postseason.
Caruso grew up around the Texas A&M Aggies program, spending many seasons as a ball boy for the Aggies. While studying at Texas A&M, he majored in sports management. On June 22, 2021, Caruso was arrested at Easterwood Airport in College Station, Texas, for residual marijuana left on a grinder.
Caruso joined the Lakers for the 2017 NBA Summer League. After several productive games, including one in which he started in place of the injured Lonzo Ball and led the Lakers to 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 the G League) to the NBA via a two-way contract. He also helped lead the Lakers to win the 2017 NBA Summer League Championship in Las Vegas. Caruso made his NBA debut on October 19, 2017, against the Los Angeles Clippers. 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. 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. He also became the only Laker that season, other than LeBron James, to record a 30+ point, 10+ rebound, 5+ assist game. On July 6, 2019, Caruso signed a two-year contract with the Lakers worth $5.5 million. He won his first NBA championship with them on October 11, 2020, when the Lakers defeated the Miami Heat in six games.
Caruso was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2024, where he has since been playing.
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Contract with the Lakers
Alex Caruso, nicknamed the "Bald Mamba" in honour of Kobe Bryant, is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies, earning second-team all-Southeastern Conference (SEC) honours as a senior in 2016.
Caruso joined the Lakers for the 2017 NBA Summer League. After several impressive performances, he was signed to the Lakers' first two-way contract on July 13, 2017, becoming the first player to go directly from the D-League to the NBA via a two-way contract. On July 6, 2019, Caruso signed a two-year contract with the Lakers worth $5.5 million. He won his first NBA championship with them on October 11, 2020, when the Lakers defeated the Miami Heat.
Caruso became an unrestricted free agent after the 2020-21 season. On August 10, 2021, he signed a four-year, $37 million contract with the Chicago Bulls. The Lakers reportedly wanted to retain Caruso, but they were limited by financial resources after the blockbuster trade for Russell Westbrook, and they needed to re-sign Talen Horton-Tucker. Caruso himself acknowledged this, stating that he knows many people wanted him to stay with the Lakers, but he was excited about the new challenge with the Bulls.
Caruso's time with the Bulls was marred by an injury in January 2022, when he suffered a fractured right wrist that required surgery and kept him out for at least 6-8 weeks. However, he went on to have a successful 2023 season, being named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team for the first time. On June 21, 2024, Caruso was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and he agreed to a four-year, $81 million contract extension with them on December 22 of that year.
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Oklahoma City Thunder
Will Caruso, or Alex Caruso to be precise, is a professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA. Caruso was born on February 28, 1994, in College Station, Texas, and played college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies, earning second-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) honours as a senior in 2016.
Caruso went undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft but later signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder on September 23, 2016. However, his stint with the Thunder was short-lived as he was waived on October 17, 2016. He then joined the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA Development League before signing with the Lakers for the 2017 NBA Summer League. Caruso made his NBA debut with the Lakers on October 19, 2017, and even won an NBA Championship with them in 2020. Known for his defensive prowess, Caruso was traded to the Thunder in 2024 and agreed to a four-year, $81 million contract extension.
During his first regular season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Caruso averaged 7.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.6 steals in 19.3 minutes across 54 appearances (with three starts). Despite being plagued by injuries, Caruso has been a key contributor to the Thunder's success, providing lock-down defence and taking pressure off key players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.
Caruso's impact on the Thunder has been significant, with Thunder big man Chet Holmgren praising his winning mentality and competitive spirit. With his championship experience and versatile skillset, Caruso has helped elevate the Thunder's status as a championship contender and has been instrumental in their pursuit of an NBA title.
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Nicknames and honours
Nicknamed "Bald Mamba" in honour of Kobe Bryant, "the Bald Eagle", “CarusGOAT”, or "Carushow", Alex Caruso is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
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, TABC All-Star, and district MVP after leading his team to the postseason. He then played college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies, earning second-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) honours as a senior in 2016.
After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Caruso joined the Philadelphia 76ers for the 2016 NBA Summer League. He then signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder on September 23, 2016, but was later waived on October 17. On November 3, he was acquired by the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA Development League. Caruso joined the Lakers for the 2017 NBA Summer League and, after several productive games, 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 a two-way contract. He also helped lead the Lakers to win the 2017 NBA Summer League Championship in Las Vegas. Caruso made his NBA debut on October 19, 2017, against the Los Angeles Clippers.
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. He also became the only Laker that season other than LeBron James to record a 30+ point, 10+ rebound, 5+ assist game. 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. On July 6, 2019, Caruso signed a two-year contract with the Lakers worth $5.5 million. He won his first NBA championship with them on October 11, 2020, when the Lakers defeated the Miami Heat in six games.
On August 10, 2021, Caruso signed a four-year, $37 million contract with the Chicago Bulls. At the end of the 2023 season, Caruso was named for the first time to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. He won the NBA Hustle Award in 2023–24. On June 21, 2024, Caruso was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Josh Giddey. 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.
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Frequently asked questions
Will Caruso's full name is Alex Michael Caruso.
Alex Caruso has played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Alex Caruso attended Texas A&M University, where he majored in sports management.
