Alex Caruso drew attention for a comment he made about his former team after the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals on Sunday night, but the veteran guard insists it was the booze talking.
Caruso played 32 minutes off the bench and had 10 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals in the Thunder’s 103-91 win over the Pacers in Game 7 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. The NBA title is the second of Caruso’s career, as he also won one with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.
During his postgame press conference, Caruso was asked how the Thunder’s title run compares to the one he was part of with L.A. five years ago. The 31-year-old joked that he now has a “real” championship, which was a reference to the 2020 NBA Playoffs being held in a bubble in Orlando.
Caruso was really taking a shot at those who claim the Lakers’ 2020 title deserves an asterisk. However, many people interpreted the comment as a criticism of his former team.
Caruso later wrote on X that he was being sarcastic and said he had already had three beers before his news conference.
“I had 3 beers already, it’s SARCASM!!” Caruso wrote.
I had 3 beers already, it’s SARCASM!!
— Alex Caruso (@ACFresh21) June 23, 2025
-two time https://t.co/coxn1bDpKp
Caruso also said the championship he won with Oklahoma City was “harder” because of the gap in experience between the veteran-laden 2020 Lakers and the 2025 Thunder.
None of that means Caruso was trying to devalue what the Lakers accomplished. He was a part of that team, so why would he want to criticize his own resume?
As Caruso said, he was clearly being sarcastic. He was mocking those who try to say L.A.’s 2020 title was illegitimate. The three beers are probably what gave him the courage to blurt it out.
