At the end of last season one of the best stories in NBA history took place when the Los Angeles Lakers signed Andre Ingram. After spending 10 years in the G League, Ingram made an unbelievable impact in his Lakers debut with 19 points including knocking down four 3-pointers.
Now Ingram is set for an encore presentation as the Lakers announced that Ingram would be returning to the team on a 10-day contract. This time however, his mindset is different than the same time a year ago.
Ingram spoke about his second call-up with the Lakers, calling last season amazing, but saying this year is all about getting the Lakers some wins during this road trip, via Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group:
Andre Ingram on his call-up: "Last year was amazing, but this year, it means a little more. This is not just an Andre Ingram Day, it’s a Los Angeles Lakers game that you need to win, and this trip will be a good one to get some wins on. So that’s really the focus."
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) March 12, 2019
The good news for Ingram is that the Lakers did just that on the first game of their road trip, coming away with a 123-107 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Ingram was unable to make the same impact as a season ago unfortunately, as he saw just two minutes of action, missing his only shot. He did receive a standing ovation from the crowd when he entered the game for the first time.
Obviously the feeling of being called up to the NBA for the first time is unlike anything else, especially for someone like Ingram who had been grinding in the G League for a decade. Regardless, his mindset coming back is an ideal one as he simply wants to do what’s best for the team, as opposed to looking for individual shine.