Alex Caruso Reveals Why Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Reminds Him Of LeBron James

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso won the 2020 championship with LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers. The defensive specialist is going for his second title this year and he has arguably the best player in the NBA by his side in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

“He’s got that special, competitive edge that all the great guys do,” Caruso said about Gilgeous-Alexander, via The Athletic. “The guys that I’ve seen — Bron, AD (Anthony Davis), (Rajon) Rondo, Danny Green, Dwight Howard, DeMar (DeRozan) — these are guys that were already the most talented, but then also there’s a standard that they hold themselves to. They’re competitive with themselves to get better and be the best. That’s something I see with (Gilgeous-Alexander). He puts in as much work, if not more work, than anybody on the court.

“In practice, there are days when he just has the juice, and his team is the one that wins no matter what. It’s just things that I’ve seen in guys where they can control the game just by competing at such a high level, and then they’re also the most talented. That’s a special combination.”

Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA in total points and points per game this season.

The Thunder had the top record in the league and look like legitimate championship contenders. 

A three-time All-Star, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.4 assists during the regular season while shooting 51.9% from the field, 37.5% from 3 and 89.8% from the foul line. He’s expected to win the MVP Award this year. 

The Thunder swept the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the 2025 playoffs. They will face either the Los Angeles Clippers or Denver Nuggets in the second round. 

Gilgeous-Alexander began his career with the Clippers, who traded the guard to the Thunder for Paul George in 2019. SGA has career averages of 24.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists with the Clippers and Thunder.