He will be joining Scottie Barnes and Darko Rajakovic as Raptors members in the All-Star Game on Sunday after replacing an injured Stephen Curry.
NBA All-Star Weekend is just two days away, and the Toronto Raptors may just have the most representation in the entire NBA. The Rising Stars Game will have Collin Murray-Boyles and Alijah Martin competing against one another, Scottie Barnes is competing in both the Shooting Stars Competition and the All-Star Game, and head coach Darko Rajakovic will also be coaching Team World on Sunday.
Brandon Ingram wasn’t picked to join Barnes as an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve for 2026. However, NBA commissioner Adam Silver selected Ingram on Tuesday as the injury replacement for Stephen Curry to play for the USA Stripes on Sunday.
Toronto Raptors guard/forward Brandon Ingram (3) | © Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Marking his second-career All-Star selection, Ingram has led the Raptors in scoring with 22.0 points per game on 47.2% shooting. At just 2.5 games behind the second seed in the Eastern Conference, Toronto possesses two All-Stars in the same season for the first time since Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam in 2020.
When talking to the media, the former Duke Blue Devil gave his flowers to the people who have impacted his path back to the All-Star Game, including one special celebrity.
“I’m gonna shout out my girl[friend] because she’s gonna be mad if I don’t,” said Ingram. “All the attitude that I bring her every single day, her work ethic pushes me to be better too.”
The former No. 2 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft is dating Grammy-Award winning rapper GloRilla. Their first encounter was around Thanksgiving in 2024 (via Complex News), and she has repeatedly been watching Ingram play throughout this season while sitting courtside. The Memphis native will also be competing at All-Star Weekend in the Celebrity All-Star Game on Friday.
Toronto’s leading scorer this season had several media members and former players expressing their support when he was initially snubbed from the All-Star Team. Consistently drawing double-teams and being guarded by the opposing team’s best perimeter defender, Ingram has shown his innate ability to get to his spots and score at will, helping the Raptors find their way to their first potential playoff appearance since 2022.
Toronto Raptors guard/forward Brandon Ingram (3) | © Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
His exceptional play this season has allowed Raptors general manager Bobby Webster to explore different options to upgrade the team now, as opposed to in the future. Star big men Domantas Sabonis and Anthony Davis were highly linked to the Raptors before the NBA trade deadline last Thursday, as the idea of matching one of these multiple-time All-Stars with Barnes and Ingram could allow for them to make a push towards an Eastern Conference Championship now. While a blockbuster trade wasn’t completed, Toronto will look to win a playoff series this season, then determine which path is the most effective to making a real NBA Finals push.