Alex Caruso began his basketball journey at A&M Texas from 2012 to 2016. During his time in college, he was recognized as an All-SEC second-team player and named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. After going undrafted in 2016, Caruso began with the Philadelphia 76ers for the Summer League and later signed a contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder. While most of his on-court life is quite well known, the same cannot be said about his background. 

Apparently, Caruso can be very unhinged when it comes to saying what he feels. Once he joked about a pass made to him by Travis Wear during the 2017 NBA Summer League, “People probably don’t get the white guy to white guy alley oop all the time”. Fortunately, Caruso did not receive any backlash over the remarks. On the other hand, we barely know much about  Oklahoma City Thunder star’s race or family background.

In light of this, let us take it upon ourselves to find out more about the NBA star’s background.

Where is Alex Caruso’s nationality?

Alex Caruso was born and raised in College Station, Texas. Caruso holds American nationality, no surprise there. His roots are all tied to Texas, where the love for basketball kicked in, where he first started making noise on the court. He grew up around the game, and it stuck. No flashy background, just homegrown grit. It’s part of what fans love about him: real and grounded. Now let’s look at his roots, and look at his ethnicity and religion.

What is Alex Caruso’s ethnicity and religion?

Alex Caruso’s father, Mike Caruso, reportedly grew up in Oakland, California, while no clear information is given on the origins of the NBA player’s mother, Jackie Caruso. Similar to his parents, Alex is of Caucasian ethnicity. So, Caruso can be identified as a Caucasian-American Athlete.

Religion played an important part in the 2020 NBA champions’ upbringing. In an interview back in 2014, Alex Caruso revealed, “My parents did a good job of making sure we were educated as kids. We went to church every weekend, got into youth programs at church and around the community, so I had a very good faith and upbringing through God and through Christ”.

Alex Caruso has highlighted that his father has handed his basketball genetics and skills down to him. After all, during his early days, Mike Caruso himself was an up-and-comer when it came to the ball sport. As the NBA player highlighted, Mike helped to establish a 34-1 record during his high school days. In fact, he even won the California state championship.

Later on, he took his talents to Creighton University. As highlighted by Sports Reference, Mike averaged 11 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists during the three seasons between 1968 and 1971. His average score during his senior season stood at 13.1 (13.2, according to Sports Reference) points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists. As of October 2020, Mike Caruso ranked second on CU’s all-time free throw percentage chart. His individual percentage stat stood at 84.4%. Furthermore, he was also a member of the Eddie Sutton squad. Through that, he reportedly upset No. 5 New Mexico State at the Civic Center in 1970.

After his playing stint, Mike Caruso even adopted coaching for a little. However, as Alex Caruso highlighted, the same didn’t last long, “because he didn’t like recruiting”. Later, Mike took up a job as an associate athletic director at Texas A&M. Perhaps this is where he met his future wife, since Jackie Caruso also served in the HR Department at Texas A&M at one point.

As per reports, Mike and Jackie Caruso have lived in Texas for over 30 years now. Together, they created an environment that helped Alex and his two sisters, Megan and Emily, grow into individuals who found their own paths in the world. Okay, now that we have looked at his personal life, let’s also look at his high school career a little.

Alex Caruso’s support to his teammates

Caruso has been an active advocate for racial equality, after the brutal killing of George Floyd, he wore “Black Lives Matter” on his jersey. “Being in the NBA has actually taught me how important it is to talk about these things,” said the Thunder player. “There are people that are watching. I just think it is important for people to know what is right from wrong.” He understands that the right against racism cannot solely be shouldered by the Black population. Caruso emphasized the importance of ally ship, as a white player in a predominantly Black league, he understands the need to a voice for those who may not be heard.

Taking inspiration from the Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabar, Caruso said, “it’s going to be time and time again where you’re going to have to step up, be courageous, use your voice and try to make an impact and change lives for the better.” In essence, it can be said that he is committed to using his platform to raise awareness. But that is not all, he is also determined to step up for his playmates. When Avery Bradley stepped down from the Lakers bench, following health concern for his son. Caruso was prepared to do what is needed and announced he is always available to fill the gap.