Thunder Guard Gets Inducted Into Texas A&M Hall of Fame

The Thunder’s new guard received prestigious honors from Texas A&M athletics.

Apr 1, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso (6) drives to the basket against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City’s newest lock down defender received prestigious honors from his alma mater on Saturday. Alex Caruso was inducted into the Texas A&M Lettermen’s Hall of Fame class at the Aggies football game, joining an elite group of athletes from his university.

.@TAMULettermen Hall of Famer — that has a nice ring to it! pic.twitter.com/xSQM0GCQ2a

— Texas A&M Basketball (@aggiembk) September 7, 2024

According to the university, Texas A&M elects members to the Hall of Honor for “individuals who have gone above and beyond in contributions and support of the athletic programs” of the university.

Caruso’s efforts at Texas A&M allowed the Aggies to enjoy one of the most prosperous eras of basketball in the university’s history. He helped lead his team to a 28-win regular season, an SEC regular season title, and a Sweet 16 berth in the NCAA Tournament. Most notably, Caruso was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year by CBS in 2016 and was named to the All-SEC Second Team and All-SEC Third Team in back-to-back years. He currently holds Texas A&M’s all-time record for total steals and assists in a career.

Following his storied career in College Station, Caruso went undrafted and ironically signed with the Oklahoma City Blue — the Thunder’s G League affiliate. From there, Caruso joined the Lakers on a two-way deal and ended up playing a key piece in Los Angeles’ Finals run. He enjoyed a payday with the Chicago Bulls, and ultimately, ended up back in Oklahoma City in a blockbuster trade that sent Josh Giddey to Chicago. Caruso is widely known as one of the best role players in the entire NBA.

In 2023, Caruso was named to the NBA’s All-Defense First Team and a season ago he was an All-Defense Second Teamer.

He has carved out a role for himself in the NBA with his hard-nosed style of basketball. He’s an aggressive defender that instantly makes the team better with his high energy motor and team-first mentality. Caruso has also turned himself into an elite outside shooter, as he shot 40.8% from 3-point range with the Bulls a season ago.

It’s cool to see his alma mater, Texas A&M, recognize him for all of his efforts in College Station. He started 120 total games for the Aggies and led the university to plenty of success while joining the school’s prestigious 1,000-point club.

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