Toronto Raptors’ Brandon Ingram named NBA all-star after all

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Brandon Ingram is an NBA all-star again after all.

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Initially snubbed despite being in the midst of a stellar, resurgent season as a key part of a Raptors team that is exceeding expectations, Ingram was named as a replacement Tuesday by NBA commissioner Adam Silver while the Raptors were going through the last practice before the all-star break.

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Ingram felt like everyone else got the news before him.

“I was just standing at the scorer’s table and (head coach Darko Rajakovic) jumped on me,” Ingram said.

“I didn’t know what was going on. He told me, ‘Congrats.’ Everyone else told me congrats. I was the last one to know. Everybody kept jumping on me for like five minutes.”

The celebration prompted Rajakovic to end the practice early.

“I guess the emotions were too high. He’s cancelling,” Ingram said with a laugh.

“We had planned 45 minutes for practice for today. After 15 minutes we got the news, so I brought the team together and we really celebrated it for the moment, and we did not get good conditions to finish the practice after this, I canceled the rest of the practice,” said Rajakovic, who also was smiling.

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“Really excited about BI. I think that from the moment he came to our team, the amount of work and preparation (he put in), he had a really hard summer with lot of recovery, lot of like, boring exercises and stuff to get him healthy, to get him on the floor,” the coach said.

“And that he was able to play 52 games for us this year, out of 54 is just testament all amount of work that he put in, and then the performance on the court and how he’s affecting our team, and how much he’s loved on this team. Definitely, I think he deserves this recognition. I’m so happy for him.”

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The former New Orleans Pelicans star was eager to prove he was still a top talent after a run of injuries and playing in a quiet market on losing teams had dulled some of the shine on the former No. 2 overall pick, who was a key part of the Anthony Davis trade to the Los Angeles Lakers years ago.

He has done just that, averaging 22 points, often rescuing one of the league’s least-imposing offences when play bogs down. Toronto has started the season 32-22, already two victories ahead of last season’s total even before the all-star weekend, which is coming up in Los Angeles.

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When he was traded to Toronto a year ago, both Ingram and Raptors general manager Bobby Webster had made a point of saying they wanted to get him back to this level. Still, to think it would happen this quickly would have been labelled optimistic.

“It was definitely one of my goals, to make all-star. After the summer that I had, coming into the season, I knew it was going to be some time where I was going to be a little bit rusty,” Ingram explained Tuesday. “I knew I was going to find it sooner or later. I knew it was going to be before all-star. I didn’t count on making all-star. But I knew still, coming off of injury, I was one of the better players in the league. I knew I had a chance.”

What was the initial reaction to Ingram’s snub?

The Raptors weren’t happy when Ingram initially didn’t make the cut. Rajakovic talked about his disappointment, franchise player Scottie Barnes said “it’s ridiculous he’s not there,” while veteran Garrett Temple told the Toronto Sun it was “a travesty.”

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Temple added that Ingram has “done great for us, he’s fit in like a glove. Personality-wise, offensively, to be able to have a guy that you can go to that can create his own shot in the mid- range like he does, helps us tremendously.”

Ingram had admitted “in the moment, it did sting,” but had said he’d use it as motivation for next year. Now he won’t have to, though he indicated Tuesday he still wants to be named to the team in the future instead of being a later addition.

There have been several injury replacements named already, but Ingram was not a lock. Brooklyn’s Michael Porter Jr. is having a monster season too, but didn’t get the call, likely because of his team’s record compared to Toronto’s.

Ingram gives thanks

Ingram had a long list of people to thank after getting the news.

“I want to thank the player development. I want to thank the training staff for not only getting me healthy but keeping me healthy, checking in every single day. I want to thank the organization for believing in me and my teammates for believing in me, putting me in the right position to be the best I can on the basketball floor,” he said.

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“The coaches for pushing me every single day, telling me the things that I need to hear. Of course my family, my family who believes in me, who have believed in me since I picked up a basketball. My team at home, my brothers in North Carolina. I’m gonna shout out my girl, because she’s gonna be mad. Shout out her. All the attitude I bring every single day, her work ethic pushes me to be better, too.”

Ingram will now join Barnes in the main event, along with Rajakovic and his staff, though they’ll be competing against each other since Rajakovic will be coaching Team World.

“I’m gonna show him all the things I’m gonna do in the second half of the season. It’s gonna be fun. I know it’s gonna be a lot of laughs,” Ingram said.

“I know (Rajakovic’s) gonna be super red over there because his team’s not playing any defence. It’s gonna be fun to see him at the all-star game. That’s an accomplishment for him being in the All-Star game and being the world coach. It shows how much he puts into the game, how much knowledge he has also.”

Rookie forward Collin Murray-Boyles won’t play Wednesday against Detroit after aggravating his thumb injury, but Rajakovic said he’ll be going to Los Angeles for the festivities.

Fellow rookie Alijah Martin also will be in the Rising Stars Game.

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