The “Bald Eagle” has officially landed in Los Angeles, with Lakers guard Alex Caurso shaving off what he had left of his hair and going full Lex Luthor in advance of the season.
Caruso has always left a little up top, but went with the full bald look thanks to a partnership with Manscaped. The men’s grooming and hygiene company donated $10,000 to the Testicular Cancer Society for Caruso doing the trim on camera.
“I’m pumped to support this great cause and the new look isn’t too bad either!” Caruso said.
Alex Caruso Said Viral Attention ‘Borderline Annoying’
Caruso trimmed up his hair and went with the headband look last season, something he credited his former teammate JaVale McGee with.
“My new stylist JaVale McGee has been helping me out,” Caruso said last season. “We just decided yesterday at practice after goofing around and just stuck with today. Played good with it tonight, so I guess we’re going to stay with it for now. Not a one-time thing. We’re going to stay with it.”
Caruso has become a fan-favorite in Los Angeles thanks to his relentless motor on the court and fairly unassuming look. But Caruso — who has 1.4 million Instagram followers — admitted last season that it’s not easy being an internet sensation.
“It did get to a point to where I was just sitting back and literally anything I did, somebody would tweet about it, or somebody was reporting on it,” Caruso said. “And at a certain point I was just like, ‘this is just like borderline annoying.’ It was to the point where it’s like, let’s just focus on basketball, and we’re having so much success on the court that I would love for it to be more about that than me doing a random play in a game.”
Caruso has had many nicknames so far in his Lakers career, from the Bald Mamba, to the Bald Eagle. And LeBron James just calls him the GOAT.
“It’s funny,” Caruso told the Los Angeles Times. “Every time it comes up, it’s funny. It has kind of lost its pop to me because everyone on the team says it now, but when it first started happening it was funny and it was a good laugh. Everyone still enjoys it and they’re still saying it.
“The outside world might be taking it in basketball terms but I think when my teammates say it, they’re just speaking to the kind of teammate I am and the kind of guy I am. I’m just another one of the guys who happens to be really good at basketball and don’t look like I should be.”
Alex Caruso Dealing With Preseason Injury
Head coach Frank Vogel revealed that Caruso is dealing with a hip flexor strain he suffered in the Lakers first preseason game against the Clippers, but did not get into many additional details. Caruso is doubtful for LA’s third preseason contest against the Suns.
The Lakers open up the regular season in less than a week against the Clippers and Caruso is expected to play a solid role off the bench. He averaged 18.4 minutes per game last season and took on a larger role with Avery Bradley opting out of the bubble.
Caruso averaged 5.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists last year, but also stepped up as a defensive presence.
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Lakers Guard Alex Caruso Shows Off Drastic New Look