Raptors guard hilariously trolls Brandon Ingram as Toronto star gets caught snoozing as teammates sing national anthem

Modified Apr 06, 2025 01:09 GMT

NBA: Phoenix Suns at New Orleans Pelicans - Source: Imagn — Raptors guard Jamal Shead trolls Brandon Ingram for falling asleep on team flight (Image credit: Imagn)

This season, Brandon Ingram was traded from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Toronto Raptors right before the NBA Trade Deadline. Since then, Ingram's signed an extension and has started to settle into life in Toronto.

Ingram is starting to get more comfortable with his teammates too. During a recent team flight, Ingram fell asleep with his left hand over his heart.

His teammates responded by singing the Canadian National Anthem, with Toronto guard Jamal Shead capturing the whole thing on video and sharing it to his Instagram story.

Shead captioned the story post:

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"He loves Canada so much man, so inspirational Brandon."

So far, it doesn't appear as though Ingram has reposted the clip on his Instagram story, or post a response, however, the offensive standout, who hasn't played since Dec. 7, doesn't appear to be a big social media user.

While Ingram hasn't played for Toronto yet, he and the team are en route to Brooklyn for a showdown with the Nets on Sunday.

Raptors coach Darko Rajaković optimistic that Brandon Ingram will return to practice before the end of the season

Brandon Ingram hasn't played since early December, the odds of the Toronto Raptors bringing him back with just three more games left on the schedule following Sunday's clash with Brooklyn seem pretty slim.

If he were to suffer a major injury, for example, Ingram could then wind up missing considerable time next season. Given that, and the fact that he hasn't yet returned to practice, fans likely won't see Brandon Ingram suit up for Toronto until next season.

With that being said, however, Raptors coach Darko Rajaković expressed optimism about Ingram returning to practice before the end of the year while speaking with members of the press this week.

While providing an update on Ingram, he was quoted by Sports Illustrated as saying:

“He’s reacting really well. He’s traveling really well, and we were really looking forward to seeing him in our playgroups and practice and building toward the side.”

By the time the Raptors jump into training camp for the 2025-26 season, the expectation is that Ingram will be good to go as Toronto looks to bounce back from a 2024-25 season that's destined to see them miss the playoffs for the third straight year.

About the author

Evan Bell is a journalist specializing in the NBA and NHL at Sportskeeda, whose love for the game stems from a childhood spent watching the Chicago Bulls. He has been there through their highs and lows, from the Jordan era to the exciting Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah years.

Evan finds the 82-game season and the intensity of playoff basketball exhilarating, and he also revels in the offseason drama. Phil Jackson stands out as his favorite coach, whom he admires for his composed leadership and success in managing dynamic personalities like Dennis Rodman.

To deliver top-quality content, Evan fact-checks information while diligently keeping up with the action year-round.

When he's not writing, Evan follows tennis and Greek football, and also plays basketball and tennis.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash