Brandon Ingram Moves Up To Jordan Brand

Brandon Ingram and Nike announced Saturday that the former Blue Devil would now represent Jordan Brand.

Interestingly, Jordan, who is a deeply loyal Tar Heel, currently has three Blue Devils and no one from UNC endorsing his shoes. On some level, that must be painful.

The others are Jayson Tatum and Ingram’s New Orleans Pelicans teammate Zion Williamson.

Ingram has apparently been wearing Jordans in FIBA World Cup Play, but they’re not helping very much: ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reports that Ingram, who has been a starter, has had a tough time adjusting to his role:

“Ingram has really struggled during his Team USA experience. He averaged 7.8 points and shot just 42% in the warmup games, while the team shot 56% overall. Ingram was 1-of-4 against New Zealand and his timing looked off. He was sometimes late throwing passes, misjudged scoring opportunities and was ineffective on defense...Ingram has said having the ball in his hands less than he is used to with the New Orleans Pelicans has been an adjustment. He is used to being the hub of the offense, not a gunner waiting for a turn as Team USA might need. He studied some game tape of Anthony and Durant looking for a road map, but he doesn’t look comfortable at all...There’s still time for Ingram, but Kerr has been winnowing his minutes and it’s understandable.”

Hopefully he’ll figure it out, but if not, he can think about it in September as he counts his bags of Jordan cash.