Los Angeles Lakers guard Alex Caruso just inked a multi-year shoe deal with Anta. In fact, he debuted his partnership with the brand by wearing the KT Light 4 against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday.

Caruso of the Lakers has now joined the likes of Klay Thompson, Gordon Hayward, Rajon Rondo, and Kevon Looney as Anta basketball athletes. Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao also dons Anta gear during his training and boxing matches.

Caruso has developed into a fan favorite among Lakers diehards, as well as basketball addicts. While he averages just 5.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game, fans have noticed Caruso's high-IQ plays on offense and particularly on defense. Not to mention his sneaky athleticism as seen through his putback dunks over bigger players.

LeBron James has showered praise on Caruso, calling him a critical piece of the Lakers' title chase.

Recently, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel even compared Caruso's instincts to two-way player Paul George of the Los Angeles Clippers:

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“When I was watching our pickup games from last season as we built up to training camp, he was just all over the place with his defensive ability,” Vogel recalled about the Lakers' sparkplug, per Rohan Nadkarni of Sports Illustrated. “His defensive instincts and athleticism really reminded me of when I used to coach Paul George. I started talking to my coaching staff like, Am I crazy with what I’m seeing here?”

Safe to say that Caruso's new shoe deal is worth every penny. The Lakers guard definitely possesses great marketability. And his basketball skill speaks for itself.

The Lakers versus the Nets is a showcase game because of the galaxy of stars on the court: James Harden, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Anthony Davis — it's a festival of basketball excellence and skill. Alex Caruso and Anta have a place on this court, too.