For the Los Angeles Lakers, the past 12 months have been a roller coaster ride.
The NBA restarted operations four months later inside a quarantine zone known as the “bubble” at Walt Disney World, and the Lakers eventually ended the emotional season as league champions.
For Alex Caruso, the team’s 26-year-old point guard, the experiences of 2020 were never far from mind as the Lakers fought to earn the franchise’s first NBA title in a decade.
“For the team, we had so many different guys that were chasing greatness, and a lot of guys who had ties to Kobe, or ties to family and friends through COVID that there were being affected,” Caruso, a Texas native, tells PEOPLE. “Then going into the bubble and sticking together, having a real brotherhood, and grinding through the playoff and then ultimately winning it, was just special.”
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“It’s really rewarding to get the championship, but the way we did it — the way we went about it — being a team-first team and having all the personalities and names on the team? To be able to do that, for me, I think is probably the most impressive part of winning.”
That’s why Caruso recently partnered with food delivery serviceInstacartto offer help to three Los Angeles families. Caruso delivered groceries to the families and surprised them with a $5,000 credit to the company.
Instacart
“When the pandemic first hit there was a lot of outreach and a lot of support with meals, with groceries, and stuff, but that only lasts so long,” Caruso says of the partnership with Instacart, which has supplied more than 5 million meals through their #GiveFromTheCart program. “People are still bearing the burden from the pandemic nine, 10 months later, up to today. There is still a need and plenty of people that need help and need aid in some way.”
“L.A. is such a big city and it’s been hit pretty hard with COVID and people just been struggling to make it through,” he adds. “There have been some tough days, so to be able to just shed some light and some positivity and ultimately help people out, it was something that I couldn’t pass up.”
While COVID-19 vaccines are now available, there will still continue to be difficulties for many families around Los Angeles and the country. Caruso hopes people can band together to bring an end to the pandemic.
“You just have to know that there’s light at the end of the tunnel, no matter what it is,” Caruso says. “Whatever it is that’s necessary steps to achieve a goal — and I’m first-hand account of this — it’s possible if you put your mind to it, are diligent, and responsibly follow whatever the steps are.”
“For this, it’s staying at home, it’s wearing masks,” he continues. “That’s the necessary steps and if we all do it together, we can get it done.”
source: people.com
