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Brandon Ingram has ‘a lot to be thankful for’ after signing long-term extension with Pelicans

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Four days after Thanksgiving, putting pen to paper gave Brandon Ingram something for which to be extremely thankful.

The All-Star forward noted Thursday that even though he rarely shows emotion on or off the court, when he agreed to a five-year contract extension with New Orleans on Nov. 30, he was elated. A year after undergoing surgery to correct what had been a season-ending blood disorder in his right arm, Ingram’s future is now secure in the Crescent City.

“It’s an incredible blessing,” the 23-year-old said of signing a max deal with the Pelicans. “I never show it much on the outside, but on the inside I was definitely smiling all day. My family is happy for me, my friends are happy for me. It’s just, whatever you put into the universe, you get back. I put the work in, and I got rewarded for it. (But now) I know there are more things in life that I want, of course.”

Ingram reached Western Conference All-Star status for the first time in his four-year NBA career in February, after improving in virtually every major category, including making tremendous jumps at the foul line (85 percent) and three-point arc (39 percent). He led the Pelicans by averaging 23.8 points, after being traded by the Lakers last summer. While rehabilitating and recovering from surgery, Ingram had a delayed start to 2019 offseason workouts and conditioning, but that did not stop him from also winning the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.

“It feels great, when you put it in that perspective,” Ingram said of how he responded from his previous season being cut short. “Going back all the way to my surgery and everything that went on, I have a lot to be thankful for, of course. It’s definitely something I think about in the back of my head all the time. It just motivates me to do more.”

Ingram noted that the biggest next step for he and the Pelicans will be to win more games and reach the Western Conference playoffs.

“Winning basketball games, that’s the ultimate thing,” he said. “Individually (success) is all good, but the way we get things individually is if we all win. Finding the correct way to win each night, and being the hardest-playing team, the hardest workers – without everybody watching – (is important). It starts with how we come in every day in practice, and will show up in games.”

Sourced from Pelicans

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