As the only NBA champion on the Oklahoma City Thunder, Alex Caruso has LeBron James to thank for invaluable experience at this stage. He was a critical role player in the Los Angeles Lakers’ title run during the 2020 Bubble.

While you can’t compare that championship to any other in league history because of once-in-a-lifetime circumstances, Caruso said his time with James as teammates taught him how to develop from an undrafted rookie into one of this era’s best defenders.

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After the Thunder tied the 2025 NBA Finals at 1-1 apiece with a 123-107 Game 2 win over the Indiana Pacers, Caruso continued to add to his postseason lore with an efficient 20 points and stonewall perimeter defense to help limit Tyrese Haliburton.

Wrapped in bubble wrap during the regular season, Caruso has conditioned himself for these two months of high-intensity basketball. Nobody else exemplifies not getting too far ahead of themselves like the 31-year-old. He refuses to accept congratulations for reaching this point and would rather pause them until after they win a ring.

That mentality can likely be linked back to James. He’s one of the best basketball players ever. To spend time with him as his teammate in the peak of his powers is the type of experience that sticks with you for the rest of your life. Caruso showed that when asked about his Los Angeles stint.

“Just the ability to be a pro. To go get your treatment, to eat right, to sleep, get in your recovery tights. The competitive greatness that he has that I’ve picked up from him and other guys has been a good addition to my mentality,” Caruso said about what he learned from James. “But really just being a pro. Being a pro’s pro. I think we played over a hundred games as a team now this year, not including practices, not including travel days. All that stuff adds up. Just being a pro, making sure I’m taking care of my body, my mind and bringing others with me.”

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The Thunder have received their bang for their buck with Caruso. He’s elevated in the playoffs. It took fans until they saw it with their own eyes, but they finally understood the vision after an inconsistent regular season. Now, OKC is three wins away from the 31-year-old going down in lore despite only being in his first year here.

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Alex Caruso recalls what he learned from LeBron James when on Lakers