The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Lakers guard Andre Ingram is throwing out the ceremonial first pitch on Friday night when the team faces the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium.
Ingram’s story is one that everyone in the world can take inspiration from, as he spent 10 seasons in the NBA development league before the Lakers signed him for their final two games of this season.
The 32-year-old’s first career NBA game was one to remember, as he scored 19 points and set a Lakers franchise record for most 3-pointers in a player’s first game by making four against the Houston Rockets, who boast the best record in the league.
NBA G League salaries are essentially less than making minimum wage for the number of hours he put in to work on his game throughout the years, so to see Ingram stick with it for 10 years and never give up on his dream of making the NBA is truly inspirational.
Expect Ingram to get a big ovation when he takes the mound at Dodger Stadium, as Los Angeles sports fans know about everything he has been through. When he was lighting up the Rockets in his debut, Lakers fans at Staples Center serenaded him ‘MVP’ chants that were often heard when Kobe Bryant was at the top of his game.
Ingram has said that he has never played baseball before in his life, so it will be interesting to see if he will be able to get a pitch over the plate when all the lights are on him.
