No. 6–Chicago Bulls | |
---|---|
Position | Point guard / shooting guard |
League | NBA |
Personal information | |
Born | College Station, Texas, U.S. | February 28, 1994
Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
Listed weight | 186 lb (84 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | A&M Consolidated (College Station, Texas) |
College | Texas A&M (2012–2016) |
NBA draft | 2016: undrafted |
Playing career | 2016–present |
Career history | |
2016–2017 | Oklahoma City Blue |
2017–2021 | Los Angeles Lakers |
2017–2019 | →South Bay Lakers |
2021–present | Chicago Bulls |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Alex Michael Caruso [1] (born February 28, 1994) [2] is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Bald Mamba" 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.
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]
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]
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]
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]
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 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]
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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, he was arrested at Easterwood Airport in College Station, Texas, for residual marijuana left on a grinder. [24]
Blake Austin Griffin is an American former professional basketball player. Griffin primarily played with the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and played college basketball for the Oklahoma Sooners, where he was named the consensus national college player of the year as a sophomore. Griffin was selected first overall by the Clippers in the 2009 NBA draft, and was a six-time NBA All-Star and a five-time All-NBA selection. In January 2018, Griffin was traded to the Detroit Pistons and played for them until 2021. In March 2021, Griffin signed with the Brooklyn Nets. In September 2022, Griffin signed with the Boston Celtics.
JamesOn Curry is an American former professional basketball player. He played for Oklahoma State University from 2004 to 2007, and after forgoing his senior season, left for the 2007 NBA draft. He was selected in the second round as the 51st overall pick by the Chicago Bulls. After stints in the NBA Development League and Europe, Curry made his NBA debut in January 2010, playing 3.9 seconds for the Los Angeles Clippers. It was Curry's only NBA regular-season appearance and set a record for the shortest NBA career of all time per in-game time spent on the court.
The 1999–2000 NBA season was the Lakers' 52nd season in the National Basketball Association, and 40th season in Los Angeles. It was also the Lakers first season playing in their new arena, the Staples Center, becoming co-tenants with their crosstown rival, the Los Angeles Clippers. During the off-season, the team re-acquired former Lakers forward A.C. Green from the Dallas Mavericks, and signed free agents Ron Harper, Brian Shaw and John Salley. Green won two championships with the Lakers in the 1980s, and Salley won three championships with the Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls. More significantly, the Lakers hired former Bulls coach Phil Jackson, who would go on to help the team win five NBA championships over the course of the next 12 years.
Hyland DeAndre Jordan Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies.
Wesley JaMarr Johnson is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is a player development assistant for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Syracuse University and Iowa State University. He was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Derrick Bernard Favors is an American professional basketball player for the Windy City Bulls of the NBA G League. Favors played college basketball for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets for one season before being selected by the New Jersey Nets with the third overall pick of the 2010 NBA draft.
Patrick Beverley is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Originally from Chicago's West Side, Beverley played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks. He spent the first five years of his pro career overseas, playing in Ukraine, Greece, and Russia. In January 2013, he joined the NBA, signing with the Houston Rockets.
Reginald Shon Jackson, nicknamed Big Government, is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played three seasons for the Boston College Eagles before declaring for the 2011 NBA draft, where he was drafted 24th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Jackson also played for the Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Clippers before joining the Nuggets, where he won a championship with the team in 2023.
OleksiiYuriyovychLen, commonly known as Alex Len, is a Ukrainian professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before being drafted, he played two seasons for the Maryland Terrapins as well as a season with Dnipro.
Montrezl Dashay Harrell ( mon-TREZHARR-əl; is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals, where he received the Karl Malone Award in 2015 as a junior, being the top power forward in the nation. Harrell was selected in the second round of the 2015 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets, and was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2017, where he was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2020.
Sindarius Thornwell is an American professional basketball player for Avtodor of the VTB United League. He played college basketball for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Thornwell was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 48th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft before he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Larry Donnell Nance Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Wyoming Cowboys, where he was considered one of the best big men in the Mountain West Conference after leading the 2014–15 team to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002. Nance was drafted 27th overall in the 2015 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. He became part of the team's roster rebuild focusing around younger players. During the 2017–18 season, Nance was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, with whom he reached the 2018 NBA Finals. During the 2021 offseason, he was dealt to the Portland Trail Blazers, who traded him to the Pelicans midway through the 2021–22 season.
Grayson James Allen is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played four years of college basketball at Duke University, where he helped Duke win a national championship in 2015. He has often been called one of Duke's best players of the 2010s. Allen was drafted with the 21st overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz, where he played for one season before being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in July 2019. In August 2021, Allen was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, where he played for two seasons before being traded to the Suns in September 2023.
Diamond Louis Stone is an American professional basketball player who plays for Shahrdari Gorgan. He played one season of college basketball for Maryland before being drafted 40th overall in the 2016 NBA draft by the New Orleans Pelicans.
Wenyen Gabriel is a South Sudanese-American professional basketball player for the Vaqueros de Bayamón of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats, after being a 5-star prospect in 2016, ranked as high as #14 on ESPN's Top 100. Gabriel has also played in the NBA for the Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jarred Jakobi Vanderbilt is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected as a McDonald's All-American in high school. Vanderbilt played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. He was selected by the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the 2018 NBA draft.
Dennis Edward "D. J." Hogg Jr. is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies.
Kerwin LaTroy Roach II is an American professional basketball player for Sagesse SC of the Lebanese Basketball League. He played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns.
Jarrell Isaiah Brantley is an American professional basketball player for Nagasaki Velca of the B.League. He played college basketball for the College of Charleston Cougars.
Quenton Jackson is an American professional basketball player player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Indiana Mad Ants of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the College of Central Florida Patriots and the Texas A&M Aggies.