By R.L. Bynum
Harrison Ingram may not have been picked as high as he expected in the NBA draft, but the Dallas native’s situation couldn’t be much better otherwise.
The San Antonio Spurs picked him in the second round of the NBA draft on Thursday as the 48th overall pick, and the former North Carolina star couldn’t be happier.
“It’s hard to put into words,” Ingram said during an introductory press conference Saturday in San Antonio. “When you’re a little kid, you dream of this moment and your name called. To stay in Texas with a program like San Antonio, which has so much history of Tim Duncan and Coach [Gregg] Popovich? It’s just crazy.”
Ingram showed off his versatility during his only season in Chapel Hill, averaging 12.2 points and 8.8 rebounds while shooting 38.5% from 3-point range, all career-highs. That got the attention of NBA scouts, but not enough to get picked in the first round.
He’s using that as motivation.
“I feel like you can always get better on the court,” said Ingram, who will wear No. 55 just as he did for the Tar Heels. “You can always work harder. Just because 47 guys drafted ahead of me doesn’t mean they’re better than me. I’m gonna come here every day and work hard to try to earn my minutes.”
Ingram’s answer when asked what he’ll bring to the Spurs will come as no surprise to Tar Heels fans who loved his versatility last season.
“I like to do whatever it takes to win,” said Ingram, who showed off his off-the-court versatility by answering one question in Spanish. “[I] want to adapt to whatever the team needs and whatever Coach Pop asks of me. Whatever the coaches ask of me, I’ll be ready to do, whether that’s rebounds, threes, play defense, dive on the floor, it doesn’t really matter to me.”
You might have assumed that Ingram grew up being a Dallas Mavericks fan, but he sad he didn’t really have a favorite NBA team. Rather, he grew up a big LeBron James fan, and he says that he cheered for James’ teams over the years.
With no NFL team in San Antonio, he knew he wouldn’t upset the Spurs fanbase by declaring that he’s a diehard Dallas Cowboys fan.
Ingram and fellow draftee Stephon Castle of UConn, the fourth overall pick, join a young team that’s led by 7–4 center Victor Wembanyama, who was the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA draft and earned rookie-of-the-year honors.
“To play with a guy like Wemby? He’s a next coming of the GOAT,” Ingram said. “He’s the No. 1 pick. He’s supposed to be one of the best players. It’ll be fun to play with somebody who’s 7-4, blocking everything in sight.
“It’s a young roster,” Ingram said. “They’re building and they have a young talent like Wemby and Stephon Castle at the point of attack and a lot of guys on the wing. People just working to get better and just trying to win a championship. That’s the goal.”
He’ll get his first chance to show off his skills at 8:30 next Saturday (NBATV) when he plays for San Antonio’s Summer League team in Sacramento against the Charlotte Hornets. That’s the first of seven Summer League games for the Spurs.
Top photo via YouTube screenshot; second photo via @spurs
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