<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-alex-caruso-opens-up-full-circle-moment');   ga('set', 'title', 'Alex Caruso opens up on his ‘full-circle moment’ with Thunder');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Thunder-news-Alex-Caruso-opens-up-on-full-circle-moment-with-OKC.jpg"></figure><h1>Alex Caruso opens up on his ‘full-circle moment’ with Thunder</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T00:07:36-07:00">June 30th, 12:07am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T00:45:20-07:00">June 30th, 12:45am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>OKLAHOMA CITY — Upon arriving in Oklahoma City for his first season with the Thunder, Alex Caruso noticed new buildings surrounding familiar roads on the outskirts of downtown. These roads led Alex to his first NBA contract nine years ago while playing for head coach Mark Daigneault in the G League. After earning his second NBA championship, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-alex-caruso-blunt-differentiating-lakers-title">Caruso says winning with the Thunder feels different</a> from winning with the Los Angeles Lakers.</p><p>His lone season with the Oklahoma City Blue — the Thunder’s G League affiliate — still resonates with the 31-year-old veteran. After a summer league appearance with the Philadelphia 76ers, Caruso, an undrafted rookie, was waived by the Oklahoma City Thunder and joined the Blue in 2016. It was his first campaign with the coach who would eventually guide him to his second NBA title, Daigneault, who was in his third season in the G League.</p><p>“I don’t lose those memories of when I was on the Blue. We’d get home at 1 AM from a connecting flight,” Caruso tells ClutchPoints. “I gotta drive 30 minutes to Edmond to the practice facility and drive home, and show up to work the next day. All those things aren’t forgotten, and I think the full-circle moment is, honestly, insane, and I probably won’t be able to appreciate it for some time. But I’m definitely aware of how rare that is, and how cool that is.”</p><p>Having Mark Daigneault, who made waves of his own in the NBA after leading the Thunder to 57 wins, a divisional title, and earning Coach of the Year in 2024, by his side makes the Thunder’s 2025 championship victory all the more fitting for Caruso. Led by his former G League coach, Daigneault, Caruso played a significant role in <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1937001988044279898/" rel="noopener">their first title</a> in franchise history.</p><p>“It’s super cool just to be able to share this with him,” Caruso said after Game 7 against the Indiana Pacers.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">From the G League to THE TOP OF THE NBA WORLD 🏆</p><p>Caruso &amp; Mark Daigneault have seen it all together 🤝 <a href="https://t.co/TLzZOW8gYD">pic.twitter.com/TLzZOW8gYD</a></p><p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1937001988044279898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Caruso admits he wasn’t the most coachable player, coming in as a frustrated undrafted guard eager to prove himself. Reflecting on his journey, which began with Mark Daigneault, continued with a championship run with the Lakers and a stint with the Bulls, and culminated in a reunion with Mark eight years later to become champions in Oklahoma City, is truly unique.</p><p>“It was pretty surreal through the year. Just driving by places in the city that I remember driving by, getting here for the first time. Different places in Edmond,” Caruso said. “The exit to go to the practice facility, driving through downtown, and seeing new buildings that weren’t there the first time I was here.”</p><p>Caruso won his first championship with the Lakers in 2020. After joining the Lakers’ summer league team in 2017, Alex signed a two-way contract and later agreed to a two-year, $5.5 million deal in 2019. He also earned All-Defensive First Team honors in 2023 after signing a four-year, $37 million contract with the Chicago Bulls in 2021.</p><p>Then, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/mark-daigneault-honest-review-josh-giddey-alex-caruso-trade-months-later">Bulls traded Caruso to the Thunder for Josh Giddey</a>, strengthening the Thunder’s backcourt defense alongside guards Lu Dort and Cason Wallace, while adding another three-point shooting threat to the offense.</p><p>“Adjusting to the team, for me, was relatively easy. Once I got here, I just started building those relationships with the guys, and I think I’m pretty un-serious off the court as well,” Caruso said. “I probably don’t show it as much as they do, but that part I fit in pretty well. On the court, I think, made it easier because we realized everybody was focused on the same thing. I and it was really competitive. It was pretty seamless once I got here after a month or two.”</p><h2><b>Alex Caruso differentiates roles between Thunder, Lakers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Thunder-guard-Alex-Caruso-Lakers-LeBron-James.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Thunder guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-alex-caruso-blunt-differentiating-lakers-title">Alex Caruso took on a veteran’s role</a> with the Thunder, which was one of the many differences between his most recent championship and his ring with the 2020 Lakers. One decade into his career, and all of a sudden, Caruso’s the oldest guy on the second-youngest team to win an NBA title.</p><p>None of his teammates had ever seen beyond the second round of the playoffs. Caruso admitted that his experience stood out, especially for a young Thunder team that battled through a Game 7 against MVP finalist Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals. And an unforgettable NBA Finals against the Pacers, which also went the distance, ending in a 103-91 Game 7 victory for Mark Daigneault and the champion Thunder.</p><p>“The biggest difference between those two championships, for me, is probably just where I’m at in my career,” Caruso said. “I think the first one, I was surrounded by Hall of Fame players with pedigree, and I was learning, you know? I was trying to figure it out. I think this time — around five, six years later — I knew the answers to the test. So, I was trying to give those out. Help the other guys. Be there for the first time.</p><p>“And I think there are some similarities, where I picked it up, and ran with it in 2020. And I think guys who hadn’t been there, this time around, did the same, for Oklahoma,” Caruso concluded.</p><h2><b>Alex Caruso, Mark Daigneault deeply rooted in the G League’s Blue</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Thunder-guard-Alex-Caruso_124b19.jpg"><figcaption>Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Although Alex Caruso hasn’t spent his entire NBA career in Oklahoma City like Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault, he feels he has deep roots embedded in the city’s fabric, where his improbable journey began, just like many of his veteran teammates. Thunder players such as Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Jaylin Williams, as well as Caruso’s NBA path, started in Oklahoma City’s G League.</p><p>Daigneault can attest to the process of developing scrappy underdogs, as he rose from assistant to head coach of the Thunder in 2020. Similarly, his young prospects, including Caruso, Dort, Wiggins, and Williams, also blossomed into NBA talents. Caruso says it’s the from-the-bottom, overachieving underdog approach of Oklahoma City’s culture that stands out in contrast to his championship run with the Lakers in the Big City of Angels.</p><p>“I think what makes the city, the fanbase, the team so special is just from the roots, you know? That Lakers team was more or less picked from who we wanted to take; signed a bunch of veterans that are, like I said, gonna be in the Hall of Fame or, at least, had won championships before,” Caruso told ClutchPoints. “This one was second-round draft picks, a handful of undrafted, traded guys, a couple of free agents, and it was pieced together a little more meticulously.</p><p>“And I think a lot of the guys on this team are just starting the beginning of great careers, whereas the other guys were on the end run,” Caruso concluded.</p><p>It’s just the beginning of a promising championship window for Caruso and the young defending champion Thunder.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Alex Caruso opens up on his ‘full-circle moment’ with Thunder

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/thunder-news-alex-caruso-gushes-aaron-wiggins-mic-drop-moment-parade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder’s Alex Caruso gushes over Aaron Wiggins’ mic drop moment before parade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Thunder-guard-Aaron-Wiggins_e0e32e.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Thunder’s Alex Caruso gushes over Aaron Wiggins’ mic drop moment before parade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-27T08:25:30-07:00">June 27th, 8:25am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-27T08:25:30-07:00">June 27th, 8:25am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder veteran Alex Caruso says Aaron Wiggins stole the show before Tuesday’s championship celebration parade. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/thunder-news-aaron-wiggins-drops-mic-haters-epic-championship-rally-speech">Wiggins’ speech kicked off the Thunder’s celebratory festivities</a> at the Paycom Center before the start of the parade. In a special send off for season ticket holders, team and front office’s friends and family, Aaron’s speech was one of Caruso’s favorite moments of the day.</p><p>Caruso’s face lit up when he asked which moments stood out the most from his first championship parade and he remembered Caruso’s <a href="https://twitter.com/Joe_Sway/status/1938353443095384302" rel="noopener">kick-off speech</a>.</p><p>“Aaron Wiggins’ speech to start it off. Man, Wiggs killed the speech,” Caruso told ClutchPoints. “That was probably the best moment from the parade besides the actual going around, seeing the fans.”</p><p>Did you see that coming from Wiggins?</p><p>“No, nobody did,” Caruso replied. “We tried to shut it down after he finished, and they said, “No, we have a program.” We still had to talk to people. But he dropped the mic.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Alex Caruso says Aaron Wiggins’ speech before the Thunder’s championship parade was one of his favorite moments; a speech nobody saw coming:</p><p>“Man, Wiggs killed the speech. That was probably the best moment from the parade besides the actual going around, seeing the fans” <a href="https://t.co/h3rTPPJNFi">pic.twitter.com/h3rTPPJNFi</a></p><p>— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) <a href="https://twitter.com/Joe_Sway/status/1938353443095384302?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Then, came time for the parade as Aaron Wiggins, Caruson and the rest of the Thunder players loaded onto the buses to celebrate with their fans down a two mile route in downtown Oklahoma City.</p><p>“Just an overwhelming turnout. There were 10 to 20 people deep, if not more, on every corner, every turn,” Caruso said about Tuesday’s Thunder parade. “From the starting line to Scissortail Park, where there was probably like a couple hundred thousand probably packed in there. Just overwhelming support, and it was loud. I didn’t know how loud it’s going to be because we’re outside, right?</p><p>“There’s no like acoustics to kind of trap all the noise. But it felt loud, and it was a lot of fun. A lot of great energy,” Caruso concluded.</p><h2><b>Alex Caruso’s blunt take, differentiating Lakers’ title vs Thunder’s</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Thunder-guard-Alex-Caruso_6c5a4a.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Thunder veteran <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-alex-caruso-blunt-differentiating-lakers-title">Alex Caruso reflected on his two championships</a>. Pinpointing the differences between the two teams, Caruso addressed the vast differences between the two teams.</p><p>“The biggest difference between those two championships, for me, is probably just where I’m at in my career,” Caruso told ClutchPoints. “I think the first one, I was surrounded by Hall of Fame players with pedigree, and I was learning, you know? I was trying to figure it out. I think this time — around five, six years later — I knew the answers to the test. So, I was trying to give those out. Help the other guys. Be there for the first time.”</p><p>This time, it was Caruso’s voice guiding the inexperienced to their first championship of their careers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder’s Alex Caruso gushes over Aaron Wiggins’ mic drop moment before parade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-alex-caruso-champagne-shower-locker-room-celebration');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder’s Alex Caruso makes champagne shower promise after lame locker room celebration');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Alex-Caruso-at-Champions-Opening-Ceremony.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images.</figcaption></figure><h1>Thunder’s Alex Caruso makes champagne shower promise after lame locker room celebration</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-27T06:26:55-07:00">June 27th, 6:26am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-27T06:27:26-07:00">June 27th, 6:27am</time><address><a>Andrew Korpan</a>Andrew Korpan is the lead entertainment editor and film critic for ClutchPoints. He's also an award-winning author and Ken Jeong's best friend.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Celebrity</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Not all celebrations are equal, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-alex-caruso-must-see-game-7-throwdown">Oklahoma City Thunder star Alex Caruso</a> seemed underwhelmed by the champagne showers after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-alex-caruso-pays-tribute-lakers-championship-parade">winning the NBA Finals</a>.</p><p>The team had trouble popping the champagne. Given that he was previously an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-alex-caruso-blunt-differentiating-lakers-title">NBA Champion with the Los Angeles Lakers</a>, he had to teach his teammates how to do it.</p><p>Speaking to TMZ Sports, Caruso acknowledged that “it was not a great showing.” However, he <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2025/06/27/alex-caruso-laments-okc-champagne-showers/" rel="noopener">made a promise</a> for the next championship.</p><p>“We’ll be better the next time around,” he said. “Whenever that is.”</p><h2><b>Thunder star Alex Caruso’s part in their NBA Finals win</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Thunder-guard-Alex-Caruso-1-1.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Caruso was a critical part of the Thunder’s bench in the NBA Finals. He had two 20-point games in the series (in Games 2 and 4) and had four total games with double-digit points.</p><p>Throughout the seven-game series, Caruso averaged 10.1 points per game. He played an average of 28.6 minutes and also averaged 3.6 rebounds per game.</p><p>The Thunder were taken to the limit by the Indiana Pacers. Throughout the playoffs, the Thunder swept the Memphis Grizzlies, beat the Denver Nuggets in seven, and then beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in five.</p><p>Caruso has had a solid career in the NBA. He went undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft, but he joined the Philadelphia 76ers for the 2016 Summer League. He was later waived before signing with the Oklahoma City Blue.</p><p>His career took off once he signed with the Lakers. He remained a part of their team for four seasons, leaving them in free agency after 2021. He then played nearly three seasons with the Chicago Bulls before being traded to the Thunder.</p><p>In December 2024, Caruso signed a four-year contract extension with the Thunder. So, he will presumably be with them for the long haul. Clearly, he aspires to win more titles with them, and the Thunder will try to go back-to-back in 2025.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder’s Alex Caruso makes champagne shower promise after lame locker room celebration

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-alex-caruso-blunt-differentiating-lakers-title');   ga('set', 'title', 'Alex Caruso gets blunt differentiating Lakers title vs. Thunder’s');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Thunder-guard-Alex-Caruso-1-1.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Alex Caruso gets blunt differentiating Lakers title vs. Thunder’s</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-26T21:01:22-07:00">June 26th, 9:01pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-27T05:35:49-07:00">June 27th, 5:35am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>OKLAHOMA CITY — After Oklahoma City Thunder veteran <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-alex-caruso-game-7-injury-revelation">Alex Caruso revealed his Game 7 injury</a> from the NBA Finals, the two-time veteran reflected on his championship journeys. Upon capturing his first title with the Los Angeles Lakers, Caruso didn’t get the opportunity to celebrate via parade due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This time, in his first season with the Thunder, Alex embraced Oklahoma City and its fans over a two-mile stretch.</p><p>However, a championship parade isn’t the only thing that differentiates his two titles. Caruso explained how his role and his Thunder teammates were vastly different from his 2019-20 campaign with the Lakers.</p><p>“The biggest difference between those two championships, for me, is probably just where I’m at in my career,” Caruso told ClutchPoints. “I think the first one, I was surrounded by Hall of Fame players with pedigree, and I was learning, you know? I was trying to figure it out. I think this time — around five, six years later — I knew the answers to the test. So, I was trying to give those out. Help the other guys. Be there for the first time.</p><p>“And I think there are some similarities, where I picked it up, and ran with it in 2020,” Caruso concluded.</p><p>For Caruso, it’s the Thunder’s homegrown talent on the roster from players such as All-Star Jalen Williams, Lu Dort, Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace, and Jaylin Williams.</p><p>“I think what makes the city, the fanbase, the team so special is just from the roots, you know? That Lakers team was more or less picked from who we wanted to take; signed a bunch of veterans that are, like I said, gonna be in the Hall of Fame or, at least, had won championships before,” Caruso added. “This one was second-round draft picks, a handful of undrafted, traded guys, a couple of free agents, and it was pieced together a little more meticulously.</p><p>“And I think a lot of the guys on this team are just starting the beginning of great careers,” Caruso concluded.</p><h2><b>Alex Caruso drops Game 7 injury revelation after Thunder title</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Thunder-veteran-Alex-Caruso.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Terada-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>After Thunder guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-alex-caruso-old-man-status-parade-sleeping-confession">Alex Caruso enjoyed Oklahoma City’s championship parade</a>, he got some sleep and rest, which helped his sprained right knuckle. Caruso had his right middle finger taped to his right ring finger at a promotional event, revealing <a href="https://twitter.com/Joe_Sway/status/1938267826407526510" rel="noopener">he’d sprained his right hand</a> before a reporter asked when he suffered the injury.</p><p>“Game 7,” Caruso said. “I got a steal on Ben Sheppard. I poked it.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Alex Caruso revealed he sprained his right knuckle in Game 7 against the Pacers when he “got a steal on Ben Sheppard”</p><p>Even though he’s been relaxing these past couple of days, Caruso says he tried swinging a golf club and admits he’ll will remain “on the IR” a little longer <a href="https://t.co/WWen6zisVC">pic.twitter.com/WWen6zisVC</a></p><p>— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) <a href="https://twitter.com/Joe_Sway/status/1938267826407526510?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Caruso will have the rest of the summer to rest as a two-time champion.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Alex Caruso gets blunt differentiating Lakers title vs. Thunder’s

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-alex-caruso-game-7-injury-revelation');   ga('set', 'title', 'Thunder’s Alex Caruso drops Game 7 injury revelation');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Thunder-guard-Alex-Caruso_f8421a.jpg"><figcaption>Murray Evans/The Oklahoman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Thunder’s Alex Caruso drops Game 7 injury revelation</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-26T14:13:45-07:00">June 26th, 2:13pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-26T14:40:09-07:00">June 26th, 2:40pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>OKLAHOMA CITY — Veteran guard Alex Caruso helped the Oklahoma City Thunder secure their first championship in franchise history in Game 7’s 103-91 win over the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals, which came at a price. Two days removed from <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-alex-caruso-pays-tribute-lakers-championship-parade">Caruso’s first championship parade as a 2x champion</a>, he suffered an injury in the best-of-7 finale. But he’s doing fine, enjoying the beginning of a satisfied offseason.</p><p>Caruso <a href="https://twitter.com/Joe_Sway/status/1938267826407526510" rel="noopener">revealed his injury</a> while talking about the past couple of days at a promotional event with Raising Cane’s.</p><p>“It’s been pretty relaxed. There’s not much that’s changed, just getting to rest finally. I tried to swing some golf clubs yesterday. My knuckle is still sprained,” Caruso told ClutchPoints. “So, I’m on the IR a little longer.”</p><p>Caruso had his right middle finger taped to his right ring finger.</p><p>“Game 7,” Caruso replied when asked when he suffered the injury. “I got a steal on Ben Sheppard. I poked it.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Alex Caruso revealed he sprained his right knuckle in Game 7 against the Pacers when he “got a steal on Ben Sheppard”</p><p>Even though he’s been relaxing these past couple of days, Caruso says he tried swinging a golf club and admits he’ll will remain “on the IR” a little longer <a href="https://t.co/WWen6zisVC">pic.twitter.com/WWen6zisVC</a></p><p>— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) <a href="https://twitter.com/Joe_Sway/status/1938267826407526510?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>And strained his right hand while knocking the ball loose. Still, even if it costs him an injured hand at the start of the offseason, Caruso will gladly take the result of a gutsy, physical, back-and-forth, best-of-7 NBA Finals series every time. After winning his first title with the Los Angeles Lakers, which happened in the pandemic-stricken 2020 NBA Finals, there was no championship parade for the Lakers.</p><p>“Just an overwhelming turnout. There were 10 to 20 people deep, if not more, on every corner, every turn,” Caruso said about Tuesday’s Thunder parade. “From the starting line to Scissortail Park, where there was probably like a couple hundred thousand probably packed in there. Just overwhelming support, and it was loud. I didn’t know how loud it’s going to be because we’re outside, right? There’s no like acoustics to kind of trap all the noise. But it felt loud, and it was a lot of fun. A lot of great energy.”</p><h2><b>Alex Caruso commends Pacers for tight series vs Thunder</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Thunder-guard-Alex-Caruso2.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Thunder veteran <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-alex-caruso-tips-cap-to-crazy-good-pacers-nba-finals">Alex Caruso tipped his cap to the Pacers</a> for a tightly-contested series. Caruso <a href="https://twitter.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1937921580744749352" rel="noopener">discussed it</a> during a recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.</p><p>“The team does deserve a round of applause,” Caruso said. “The team had a crazy good run. I think they overachieved in everybody else’s eyes, but I think from the inside looking out, they just played their game, and they are a tough out. It was not easy; we had to play good basketball to beat them, so hats off to them. Tyrese (Haliburton), Pascal (Siakam), all those guys, coach (Rick) Carlisle.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"The Pacers had a crazy good run and they played their game..</p><p>Hats off to them and they deserve a round of applause..</p><p>They're a tough out and we had to play really good basketball to beat them" ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/ACFresh21?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ACFresh21</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PMSLive?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PMSLive</a> <a href="https://t.co/3XY53N1vS3">pic.twitter.com/3XY53N1vS3</a></p><p>— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1937921580744749352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>It was arguably the Thunder’s most competitive series amidst their path to becoming champions.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Thunder’s Alex Caruso drops Game 7 injury revelation

Jamal Crawford

RJ Barrett

Lou Williams

Gordon Hayward

Alex Caruso

Josh Hart

Julius Randle

Nicolas Batum

Serge Ibaka

Rajon Rondo

2019-20 NBA Champ

2022-23 All-Defensive

2x All-Defensive

2020 NBA Champ

Los Angeles Lakers

Chicago Bulls

Oklahoma City Thunder

1 season

Career

2 seasons

https://twitter.com/ACFresh21/status/1651329562616242176/

Haaland letting the hair flow before final whistle is so disrespectful 😭😭

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2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
6.2	2.9	2.7	0.5	1.7

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
6.2	2.9	2.7	0.5	1.7

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