Alex Caruso is an undrafted former G Leaguer who might be the NBA’s most memeable player.
The following written content by Rohan Nadkarni
It’s late January and, in the sixth game of a seven-game road trip, the Lakers are simultaneously trying to avenge a blowout loss to the Celtics from last season and avoid their third straight defeat. Clinging to a 96–95 lead, Los Angeles coach Frank Vogel calls a set to get Anthony Davis—who has been feasting on Boston’s vertically challenged frontcourt—a one-on-one opportunity in the post. The Lakers clear out one side of the floor, LeBron James tosses the ball into the left block and Davis coils for a turnaround jumper with 12 seconds left. Lurking in the opposite corner while all this is happening is Alex Caruso.
The moment Davis rises, Boston guard Kemba Walker rushes over and strips the ball. As Walker moves to corral it, Caruso sees Celtics forward Jaylen Brown sprinting the other way. He darts out of the shadow of his own basket, overtaking Brown and knocking away Walker’s pass to prevent a game-winning dunk. Brown recovers the ball, but the Celtics can’t get a clean look and settle for a contested 13-footer from Walker, which clanks off the rim. A tip at the buzzer doesn’t fall. On a night the Lakers were desperate for a win, Caruso—not Davis and his 27 points, not James—is the hero.
“Some games, he plays three minutes in the first half and then the entire fourth quarter,” Vogel says. (In Boston Caruso logged seven minutes in the first half and all 12 in the fourth.) “My nickname for him is Mariano Rivera, knowing he’s someone I can trust that is going to deliver for us.”
Alex Caruso is not the person you would expect to be making game-changing plays in the final seconds for the defending NBA champions. His comically large headband, retreating hairline and 2% milk complexion make the 6′ 4″, 186-pound point guard look more like a role player at LA Fitness than an L.A. Laker. He played four years at Texas A&M, in his hometown of College Station, where he averaged 8.0 points and 4.7 assists. Undrafted in 2016 he ended up in what was then called the D-League (now the G League). And yet an L.A. team stocked with veterans for a repeat-or-bust campaign, in the tensest moments, counts on Caruso to be a closer. Read more from Sports Illustrated.
