Lakers’ Alex Caruso Reveals He Was Close to Leaving USA After Being Undrafted in NBA

Many players shine in the G-League but aren’t able to make their way into the NBA. But for Los Angeles Lakers point guard Alex Caruso, it has been a dream journey. From being undrafted to becoming an NBA champion last month, he has come a long way.

Recently, Caruso appeared on the JJ Redick podcast, where he talked about how he was close to playing overseas after he didn’t get drafted.

He said, “After I got undrafted, I played my first Summer League with the 76ers. So they had Ben, TJ McConnell, and me as the point guards so I didn’t really play much. When I did play, I didn’t play very well.

“After that happened, I went like a week span where I was talking to my agent and trying to figure out where I was going to go. I would be lying if I didn’t tell you there was a lot of disappointment when I was thinking about going to play overseas. I thought I was going to play in Poland, Germany.”

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From potentially playing in Germany to now playing for the Lakers

Caruso spoke about he had a conversation with a German team’s head coach. He spoke with the Canadian head coach for 15 minutes and was almost ready to go. But then the OKC Thunder called him. They wanted him to be a part of their Summer League team. He left the team impressed and then got the call up for their G-League team.

Next season, he joined the Lakers’ Summer League team and worked his way into their G-League team. He also made his NBA debut that season and played 37 games, including seven starts. He continued to play for both the Lakers and their G-League team before signing his first NBA contract in July 2019.

So then, from the start of the 2019-20 season, Caruso established himself as a solid role player for the Lakers. In the playoffs, he had an increase in minutes and he repaid the faith shown in him by putting in exemplary performances. He was superb defensively and showed a lot of effort throughout the playoffs.

He was a vital part of the Lakers playoff run as they beat the Heat to win the championship. His story is inspiring for any G-League player, as he proved that hard work is always rewarded.

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