Alex Caruso is aware of the asterisk some have placed on the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2020 championship.
The Oklahoma City Thunder veteran tallied 10 points and 3 steals Sunday in his team’s 103-91 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. While his numbers throughout OKC’s title run weren’t loud, his Finals experience proved invaluable for a young Thunder team.
During his postgame press conference, Caruso was asked to compare the Thunder’s first title run to his previous one with the Lakers.
“Yeah, now I got a real one! Now nobody can say anything,” Caruso said.
Alex Caruso, all smiles, comparing this Thunder championship to the Lakers’ bubble one:
— Derek Parker (@DParkOK) June 23, 2025
“Yeah, now I got a real one — now no one can say anything,” pic.twitter.com/7UqYub4SDQ
Caruso also claimed that the 2025 championship was “harder” given the gap in experience between the veteran-laden 2020 Lakers and the 2025 Thunder. OKC’s roster was so young that the former champion Caruso had to teach the rest of the Thunder players how to spray champagne.
Caruso was an integral part of the 2019-20 Lakers that ran the gauntlet inside the NBA bubble during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. He averaged 6.5 points, 2.8 assists, and 1.1 steals across 21 postseason games for the purple and gold to help raise the franchise’s most recent banner.
While Caruso may have thrown his jab in jest, jokes are often half meant.
Some fans and even former MVPs have questioned the legitimacy of the results inside the Disney World bubble. While the setup came with its unique set of challenges for the Lakers, an NBA Finals series devoid of live fans and home-away drama was far from the norm.
