The Los Angeles Lakers announced Brandon Ingram underwent successful thoracic outlet decompression surgery on his right arm. The procedure was performed Saturday by Dr. Hugh Gelabert at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
While it’s currently unclear how the operation may impact his summer workouts, Ingram is expected to make a full recovery prior to the start of the 2019-20 season. He recently was ruled out for the remainder of this season because of a Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) in his arm.
That came after Ingram missed two consecutive games due to right shoulder soreness. Lakers head coach Luke Walton said the team wasn’t certain how Ingram sustained the initial injury.
Given the serious nature of Ingram’s condition, Walton politely declined to shed any specifics or offer more information in the time after it was announced the team shut the third-year forward down the for season.
LeBron James pointed to Ingram’s health concern as a grave reminder of how suddenly things can change and why it’s worth being aware basketball at the end of the day is simply a sport.
Beyond the health implications, Ingram missing the final 19 games was a setback on a personal level. He’d found a rhythm playing alongside James and was averaging 27.8 points on 57 percent shooting in six games after the All-Star break.
Even with the shortened season, Ingram finishes averaging 18.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, both of which were career highs.
