Being one of the greatest, if not the greatest, players of all time has to be draining. Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso knows this all too well. After all, he was in the presence of LeBron James for his entire career before he signed with his new team (forming a close bond with him in the process). Now, the former Laker and NBA champion is looking to give the Bulls a piece of LeBron’s greatness.
In an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, Caruso detailed how LeBron and his teammates’ work ethic impacted him, and what he hopes he can bring a little bit of to the Bulls:
“Anytime LeBron is on your team, you’re playing for a championship. It’s not a secret. If he’s on your team, it’s pretty much like you go to the Finals and try to win a championship. If you don’t win it, it’s kind of a failure. That’s kind of the ridiculous status quo that he has put upon himself … Being around older guys who have been around the league and won championships like LeBron, Danny Green, [former Bulls guard] Rajon Rondo, you could just see there was a different type of mantra to them… It was something I was just fortunate to be a part of.’’
LeBron James teams are well-known for attracting players looking to win championships. However, being around him means needing to compete at his level as well. That means taking everything seriously. Caruso is familiar with this presence LeBron has: he was molded by this goal every day being around him and his greatness. Now, with the silent lesson LeBron and the Lakers have given him, the Bulls guard is looking to help his current team succeed as well.
The Bulls are a promising team heading into the season. With new veteran DeMar DeRozan and talented point guard Lonzo Ball joining Zach LaVine, they are the dark horse of the Eastern Conference. Caruso’s championship pedigree might just be what the Bulls need to take the next step, and it’s all thanks to LeBron.
