New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram has announced a big career decision, and judging by his on-the-court playstyle, his choice makes perfect sense.
What decision are we talking about? That would be Ingram’s announcement that he is officially signing with Jordan Brand.
BREAKING: New Orleans Pelicans star Brandon Ingram has officially joined Jordan Brand. pic.twitter.com/d8nkFh0YEc
— Complex Sneakers (@ComplexSneakers) August 26, 2023
Jordan Brand made their new signing public with an Instagram post caption: “Balling king, scoring bling. @1ngram4’s height matches his rise heading into this years’ FIBA Basketball World Cup and the newest member of the Jordan Family.”
The reason we say this choice makes perfect sense is because Michael Jordan (the company’s founder) was a midrange master – much like Brandon Ingram is nowadays.
Last season, 61% of Ingram’s shot attempts were midrange jumpers (per Cleaning the Glass). That ranked in the 99th percentile among forwards in the NBA.
There have been countless videos made over the years of Ingram emulating the same moves as the late Kobe Bryant. During his playing career, Bryant was very unapologetic about his desire to mimic Jordan’s midrange scoring prowess.
So, it makes sense that Ingram decided to join Jordan Brand because he, Jordan, and Bryant are all from the same midrange maestro tree. Ingram wants follow after Bryant, who wanted to follow after Jordan. Therefore, it stands to reason that Ingram would be inclined to want to be working with Jordan’s company. Plus, Jordan Brand sneakers are sick (like in the cool way).
Before joining Jordan Brand, Ingram had been signed with Nike since October 2021. Before that, he was under the Adidas umbrella for five years. Ingram joins his teammate, Zion Williamson, along with Jayson Tatum, Chris Paul, Bradley Beal, and many others, as NBA players sporting shoe deals with Jordan Brand.