If you happened to be perusing social media last week, you may have come across some workout photos showing Lakers guard Alex Caruso looking real buff in the gym. Those photos showed a pretty shocking body transformation from Caruso, who is often the butt of internet jokes due to his balding head and unassuming frame. He has acknowledged the jokes, and even partially embraced them since entering the league a few years ago.

But the shocking photos showed an infinitely more ripped and intimidating version of Caruso, and it was such an incredible transformation that it seemed too good to be true. Because it was. The photos were altered. 

Caruso does seem to be putting in work in the gym, as evidence by photos shared on the Lakers’ team Twitter page, but some trickster online decided to give him a little extra pump with some well-executed editing.

Some people bought the hoax and truly believed that, in the span of just a few months, Caruso had somehow gone from a guy who looks like a friendly, middle-aged Uber driver to a guy who could not only steal your girl, but also convince you to awkwardly thank him for doing so. 

And perhaps among those who were duped by the fake photos were some folks at the NBA league offices, because one week after the images circulated social media, Caruso just happened to receive a league-mandated drug test. Maybe it was just a case of convenient, amusing timing, or maybe someone peeped those photos and immediately sounded the PED alarm at NBA HQ. 

Either way, Caruso seems to find the whole thing amusing and doesn’t seem too worried about that drug test.

I suppose even if he were to fail said test, he’d still have Uber to fall back on.