Lakers' Alex Caruso received a 'random' drug test after photoshopped gym photos went viral

AP Photo/Carlos Osorio

Photoshopped photos of Alex Caruso looking ripped went viral. A week later, he received a "random offseason drug test" from the NBA.

• Alex Caruso is listed at 6-foot-5, 186 pounds for the Los Angeles Lakers. He's not a player that would be typically described as "ripped."
• The Lakers' Twitter account posted photos of a shirtless Caruso working out in the team gym in late August, prompting some users to PhotoShop his appearance to look more buff.
• Not long after the photos went viral, Caruso received a "random offseason drug test" from the NBA, implying the photoshopped photos were the cause.
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Alex Caruso is typically described as a lanky, 6-foot-5 guard. 

When photos of him looking uncharacteristically ripped in the gym went viral in late August, the NBA seemingly took notice. 

The Los Angeles Lakers posted photos of Caruso during offseason workouts, with two of the photos showing him shirtless while working out in the team gym. 

Some Twitter users photoshopped the images to make Caruso appear more buff than he is, causing the photos to go viral.

Not long after the photos circulated the internet, Caruso revealed on Instagram that he received a "random offseason drug test" in the mail.

He implied the timing may not be a coincidence, hinting that the viral photos may have fooled the league, prompting the drug test. 

The NBA sends out drug tests randomly throughout the year to prevent the usage of performance-enhancing drugs. 

The 25-year-old signed a two-year, $5.5 million contract with the Lakers in July. In 25 games during the 2018-19 season, he averaged 9.2 points in 21.2 minutes per game and shot 48 percent from three-point range. 

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