New Orleans Pelicans star Brandon Ingram started his career with the Los Angeles Lakers.
In recent episode of J.J. Redick’s podcast, Ingram shared why he was uncomfortable when he began his tenure in Los Angeles.
“It was different,” Ingram said. “I didn’t know what I was stepping into actually. It was kind of like the world came when you were going to the Lakers. My social media started blowing up. I was into social media, but then I had to step into reality. I go into my first game. Everybody knows who I am around L.A. It was just totally different. It’s different when it’s Laker love. Either you can get soaked up into the game of basketball, or you can get soaked up into everything that is around it in Los Angeles. It was important for me to just dive into basketball.”
Ingram, 23, was selected by the Lakers with the No. 2 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
Although Ingram was a core part of the Lakers’ rebuild after the retirement of legend Kobe Bryant, the youngster only lasted in Los Angeles for three seasons.
During his time in the purple and gold, Ingram averaged 13.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. He was one of the main pieces sent in the trade that netted the Lakers superstar Anthony Davis from the Pelicans.
In New Orleans, Ingram saw his game immediately go to a new level. The forward collected 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game last season.
As a matter of fact, he made the All-Star team for the first time in his career and won the 2020 Most Improved Player of the Year award.
