The Lakers Are Bringing Back 33-Year-Old Andre Ingram And His Reaction Was Priceless

In April, Andre Ingram made his presence known with the Los Angeles Lakers and, frankly, it was one of the best stories of the 2017-18 season. The then 32-year-old arrived with a bang in a debut that made Kobe Bryant look on in awe but, after the fireworks were gone, Ingram eventually returned to the G League’s South Bay Lakers and resumed operated in relative obscurity.

Now, though, the Lakers are choosing to bring Ingram back with a 10-day contract to help their depleted roster and, when the now 33-year-old was alerted to the news, his reaction was perfect.

This is a feel-good story in every way, as players in their 30’s aren’t often tabbed for 10-day trips to the NBA, much less for a second tour of duty. With that said, Ingram does have a career 45 (!) percent three-point shooting mark in the G League and, famously, he converted 5 of 9 attempts the first time around. Lakers head coach Luke Walton offered his thoughts about Ingram’s contract and he reflected that his promotion wasn’t centered only centered on a storybook ending.

”I love his attitude,” Walton said of Ingram, via the Lakers’ official Twitter account. “He doesn’t complain, he works hard no matter what. You talk to the G League coaches and whenever they need him, he’s ready to play. For us when we played him in the short games, he spaced the floor for us, he knocked down shots. We got other guys that are gonna continue to get their opportunities, but if we’re having a game again where we need someone to knock down and space that floor, then we feel confident that he can do that.”

In the grand scheme, Ingram will be playing on a team that isn’t making the playoffs and, as a result, some of the fanfare may be lost in this situation. Still, he is equipped to help an injury-depleted unit and, with all things considered, this remains a fantastic tale of perseverance.