Alex Caruso’s surprising admission regarding his reported Kobe Bryant tattoo

Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso revealed that he is not the person in a photo recently posted by ESPN.

It was reported that Caruso had gotten a tattoo of Kobe Bryant holding the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy, but Caruso set the record straight on this particular tattoo by commenting on an Instagram post that has since been deleted.

It would have been cool if Caruso were the one in the photo paying homage to the Lakers legend, especially since the current Bulls guard spent the beginning of his NBA career in Los Angeles.

One of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, Caruso was an integral part of the Lakers’ championship run in the 2019-20 season when they beat the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals in the Orlando, Fla. bubble.

During that playoff run, Caruso appeared in 21 games for the Lakers, averaging 24.3 minutes, 6.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

The 30-year-old spent one more season with Los Angeles after the bubble run before signing a four-year deal with the Bulls in free agency. Caruso will be in the final season of that contract in the 2024-25 campaign.

Bryant is one of the greatest players in Lakers history and was inducted into the Hall of Fame for his accomplishments as a player. The Lakers legend, who unfortunately passed away in 2020, was a five-time champion in his NBA career, winning the NBA Finals MVP award two times.

An inspiration to many people, Bryant has been immortalized outside of Crypto.com Arena with a statue, but that hasn’t stopped people from getting tattoos to remember the 18-time All-Star.

While Caruso may not have been the person with the Bryant tattoo posted by ESPN, it’s still something that Lakers fans can appreciate.

A two-time All-Defensive team selection, Caruso has a big season coming up in the 2024-25 campaign. Not only is it a contract year for the Bulls guard, but his team has not made the playoffs in either of the last two seasons.

Hopefully, Caruso can make a big impact in Chicago to get another taste of postseason success. It’s also always possible that he could return to Los Angeles – if both parties want a reunion – when he eventually becomes a free agent.