The Los Angeles Lakers have been raving about the work ethic Brandon Ingram has displayed over the summer as he enters the most important season of his young career. As it turns out, this is nothing new for the 21-year-old rising star, as he actually decided to skip his senior prom a few years ago in favor of a late-night workout session.
In her remarkable piece for Bleacher Report, Mirin Fader discussed the one-of-a-kind type of work ethic Ingram possesses. Even as a youngster, the former Kinston High School standout already had the mindset and determination of a soon-to-be NBA star.
“Ingram was used to putting in extra gym time. After a road loss during his high school senior year, Ingram asked his coach if he could keep his gold-and-white practice uniform for the night so he could shoot free throws, which he did until 1 a.m.”
One of the biggest testaments to Ingram's hard work is the time when he decided against taking part in one of the most significant social events in anyone's life just to be able to put in another on-court workout session.
“Another time, he skipped Kinston High's senior prom because he couldn't stomach missing a late-night workout on the court. He dribbled and shot and ran and cursed his misses and ran some more. It didn't matter to him that he was the most popular boy in his class, the one college coaches drooled after. ‘He just had to be in the gym that night,' says Darnell Dunn, a former teammate who now plays for Pepperdine.”
Ingram evidently has the psychological aspect of the game in check, and this actually has shades of the legendary Mamba Mentality all over it. Even the great Kobe Bryant would be proud of this extraordinary anecdote.
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