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Duke Basketball: Brandon Ingram pays it forward during hometown visit

By Matt Giles

PHOENIX, AZ - OCTOBER 20: Brandon Ingram #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on October 20, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Lakers defeated the Suns 132-130. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - OCTOBER 20: Brandon Ingram #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on October 20, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Lakers defeated the Suns 132-130. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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The success of Duke basketball players in the NBA has improved during recent years, and one of those former Blue Devils is using his excess finances to give back to the community where he grew up.

Former Duke basketball player Brandon Ingram spent 18 years of his life with a front-row view of the struggle of residents in his hometown.

Kinston, N.C., frequently lands on lists that all cities try to avoid. In 2017, RoadSnacks determined that the city in Eastern North Carolina was the eighth poorest place in the state. Almost a third of the population lives in poverty, and about one in six of the adults are unemployed.

Ingram, who averaged 17.3 points and 6.8 rebounds during his one season with the Blue Devils in 2015-16, understands that one of the toughest times of the year for families financially comes right before school starts in the fall.

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The new shoes. Clothes that fit. The pencils and notebooks. A new bookbag to replace the one with holes in the bottom.

It may not seem like much to someone who earns a six-figure salary, but it can all quickly overwhelm parents who are already spending nearly every waking moment trying to figure out a way for their family to survive until the next paycheck arrives.

And that’s why Ingram arrived back in his hometown on Saturday. He was just there to help.

The 20-year-old, who is about to begin his third year with the Los Angeles Lakers (this time with LeBron James on his side), showed up to the Martin C. Freeman Recreation Center to the sight of hundreds of local kids waiting in line to meet their local hero.

Once inside the gym, the kids saw table after table filled with Adidas bookbags, new sneakers, and school supplies. Not only would they get to meet their hero, but they would get to leave with items that helped to relieve a portion of their parents’ financial stress.

And Ingram got to leave with a smile on his face from knowing that he had a chance to impact the lives of kids who are facing many of the same obstacles he did during his youth.

“Just to see these kids walk through this gym and feel the shoes that I’ve been in, I think it’s beautiful,” Ingram told Kara Gann of WNCT.  “And I think they have a chance to do something even better [than I have].”

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While Duke fans may remember that Ingram doesn’t express much emotion on his face — except for a few moments as he was dropping 20 points against the North Carolina Tar Heels during Duke’s dramatic 74-73 comeback win in the Dean Dome in 2016 — his latest actions sure do express the level of kindness that is residing in his heart.

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