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Lakers: 8 Interesting Facts About Brandon Ingram

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Here are ten fun facts about Lakers’ second overall pick and birthday boy, Brandon Ingram

Los Angeles Lakers No. 2 overall pick Brandon Ingram recently celebrated his 19th birthday. Born on Sept. 2, 1997, Ingram is the second youngest active player in the NBA. The youngest player in the NBA is Phoenix Suns’ Dragan Bender, who won’t turn 19 until November 17.

There is a ton of excitement around this extremely talented young man in Los Angeles. Ingram is 6’9″ with a 7’3″ wingspan, making him a nightmare for undersized guards. He also has scoring instincts that have drawn comparisons to a certain NBA player named Kevin. (Hint: It’s not McHale or Love.)

The biggest concern with Ingram is how his thin, 190 pound frame is going to handle the physicality of the NBA. However, Ingram doesn’t see his weight as a huge problem.

“I think it just gives me motivation to show these guys that the skinny part doesn’t matter,” Ingram said in a conference call after he was drafted by the Lakers. “It got me here today. Being skinny didn’t mean nothing when I was battling with each and every guy, each and every night.”

A few slices of birthday cake should help his weight gain and to celebrate his birthday we here at Lake Show Life are looking at a few things that make Ingram interesting.

Mar 17, 2016; Des Moines, IA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari talks with guard Jamal Murray (23) during the second half in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Before Ingram had a breakout season at Duke with Coach K, he actually considered playing for the other blue team.

In Jan. 2015, the University of Kentucky were at one point considered frontrunners for Ingram’s signature after he spoke highly of coach John Calipari.

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“I’m very interested,” Ingram said after playing in the 2015 Spalding HoopHall Classic. “Of course, you see all those (UK) guys go to the next level after college basketball. You see guys like me with long arms, guys who like to run in transition and get better defensively.”

But as the story goes, Ingram spent one year at Duke where he played well enough for the Lakers to pick him with their second pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

We’ll never know how Ingram would have faired with UK, but pairing him with Coach Cal and elite high school prospect – at the time – Skal Labisierre would have made Kentucky a very dangerous team on paper.

Brandon Ingram eats six meals a day in hopes of adding weight onto his wirey frame.

Ingram has made it clear he doesn’t see his weight as an immediate disadvantage, but he also recognizes that adding some weight certainly won’t hurt his game.

In an effort to do this, Ingram eats six meals a day.

He’s currently listed at 190 pounds, but he says he has put on some weight since he left Duke. Ingram is only 19 and his body will continue to develop, so he could be even scarier than people are expecting him to be.

When Ingram isn’t hard at work in the gym, he likes to draw.

Some people have it all, and that seems to be the case with Brandon Ingram. Not only is this kid really, really good at basketball, but he’s a pretty talented artist as well.

In a video for DraftKings, Ingram set up in Washington Square to draw pictures of New Yorkers passing by.

While most fans are hoping Ingram takes home Rookie of the Year for the Lakers, I wouldn’t be surprised if he won the NBA Talent Challenge when All-Star Weekend rolls around. Tarik Black participated in the NBA Talent Challenge last year, but his trumpet playing wouldn’t stand a chance against Ingram’s skills with a pencil and a paper.

Jerry Stackhouse has been a mentor to Ingram throughout his young basketball career.

While Durant might eventually be Ingram’s mentor, Ingram is already being mentored by 2-time NBA All-Star Jerry Stackhouse.

As it stands right now, Stackhouse the best NBA player to ever come from Ingram’s hometown of Kinston, North Carolina.

Ingram doesn’t have Kobe Bryant around the way many of the young Lakers did last season, but any guidance when transitioning from college to the NBA can help. Especially when it is a talent like Jerry Stackhouse.

Jul 20, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; USA guard Kevin Durant (5) talks with guard Victor Oladipo (79) during a practice at Mendenhall Center. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Dahl-USA TODAY Sports

Maybe Lakers fans aren’t crazy when they compare Ingram to Durant.

Ingram has drawn several comparisons to new Golden State Warrior Kevin Durant, mostly due to his body type. Both Ingram and Durant are both relatively thin framed, but Durant has a little more weight on him after being in the league for almost 10 years.

Ingram, Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell were selected to be part of the USA Select Team, who scrimmaged with some of the best in the game before Team USA headed to Rio.

During that time, Ingram caught the attention of one his idols, who had nothing but high praise for him.

“First person I can say, that I can look at him and feel like I’m looking in the mirror,” Durant said of Ingram after a Team USA practice.

This is music to Lakers fans ears. It’s one thing to compare Ingram to Durant, it’s another for Durant himself to say that Ingram is farther along than he was at this point in their respective careers.

Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver holds a basketball while posing for a photo with draft prospects from left Buddy Hield (Oklahoma) , Ben Simmons (LSU), Brandon Ingram (Duke) and Kris Dunn (Providence) before the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Brandon Ingram didn’t get the most votes for Rookie of the Year, but he won perhaps the most important category.

Durant isn’t the only one who thinks Ingram is going to be a star. Ingram’s 2016 NBA Draft classmates also think he’s pretty good at basketball.

While Kris Dunn got the most votes for Rookie of the Year in the annual NBA Rookie Survey, Ingram’s peers projected that he, not Ben Simmons, will have the most illustrious career of anyone in the draft.

Ingram also got the second most votes for Rookie of the Year.

Considering that Simmons has been hailed as the next LeBron James, even drawing comparisons to Lakers legend Magic Johnson, the fact that Ingram got the most votes is a good sign.

Then again, Jahlil Okafor got the most votes in this category last season, and everyone knows who’s going to be the best player from that draft.

July 5, 2016; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers draft pick Brandon Ingram looks at the championship trophies before being introduced to media at Toyota Sports Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Brandon Ingram will be the best player from his draft class, according to ESPN.

Although Ingram wasn’t taken first overall in the 2016 NBA Draft, many still believe he is going to be a very special player. In fact, according to ESPN Analytics Specialists Sharon Katz and Paul Sabin, Brandon Ingram will be the best player from this draft class.

“Despite the consensus among scouts, these projections question whether Simmons is truly the best player in the class. Ingram has the highest draft grade, based on total projected SPM, and he is most likely to play at the level of an All-Star or starter during his first five seasons,” the report reads.

If this is true, the Lakers are going to a force to reckoned with sooner than most assume.

Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Brandon Ingram (Duke) walks off stage after being selected as the number two overall pick to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Ingram hasn’t always been the slim kid we know now, according to his mother.

Ingram might be known for his skinny build now, but there was actually a time when Ingram was a little chubs.

“He was a fat little boy, believe it or not,” recalls Ingram’s mother, Joann, told ESPN.

“I was kind of a little chubby in the face,” Ingram elaborated.

I don’t imagine we will ever see a chubby Brandon Ingram in our lifetime, but who knows?

Maybe Ingram will look more like Glen Davis by seasons end. Eating as much as he does will certainly do the trick.

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