LeBron James has never been shy to show his love for Alex Caruso as the defensive juggernaut played a crucial role in their 2020 NBA championship run. Both players had the opportunity to meet since Caruso’s departure in the offseason and could not hide their excitement.
Caruso returned to Staples Center with the Chicago Bulls on Monday night and received the best welcome a former player could hope for. A tribute video was put together for Caruso and played on the jumbotron, followed by a standing ovation for the Lakeshow fan favorite.
LeBron gave Caruso a big hug after his tribute video as the 27-year-old made his way to the Lakers bench. Evidently, there is no bad blood between Caruso and the organization despite their unwillingness to meet him halfway as per his request as a free agent.
My brother forever!!! 🤜🏻🤛🏾❤️ https://t.co/Q75kG6w5ko
— LeBron James (@KingJames) November 16, 2021
The game ended in favor of the Bulls in what was a blowout win. Another third-quarter breakdown for the Lakers took the game beyond their reach, resulting in a 121-103 loss. While there is a lot of skepticism about the Anthony Davis ejection in the third quarter, it is unlikely that the outcome would have been different even though he stayed on. Despite the loss, LeBron took to Twitter to acknowledge Caruso’s greatness.
— LeBron James (@KingJames) November 16, 2021
Caruso was on the court for 34 minutes but did not register any points. It was almost as if he was not trying to score against his former team as he had only one attempt in the game. Although he is not known to be a high-scoring player, this is the first time he has ended a game with zero points since he signed with the Bulls.
The next time the Bulls will square off against the Lakers will be on December 19. Hopefully, LeBron will be fit to play then, and they will share the court once again but on opposing teams this time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lum6-9li-P0
