I’ve never been quite so happy to eat my words.
Brandon Ingram, the Toronto Raptors’ leading scorer this season, has been named an injury replacement in the 2026 All-Star Game. With Stephen Curry out for Team USA, Ingram has been called up to take his spot, and will be playing for the “Stripes” squad , adding some valuable length to the notably centre-absent roster.
The newly minted two-time All-Star has season averages of 22 points per game, 5.8 rebounds per game, and 3.7 assists per game in this
bounce-back year from him, after playing only 18 games in the 2024-25 campaign. The Raptors are currently 5th in the Eastern Conference, seemingly destined for the playoffs, sitting 3 games above the 6th seeded Philadelphia 76ers. The Raptors have already surpassed the 30-win mark they achieved last season, when they finished well outside of the postseason, in large part thanks to Ingram’s efforts.
His prowess has elevated the Raptors’ offence, bringing tough shotmaking and consistent scoring to the fold, while allowing his fellow All-Star teammate Scottie Barnes to focus on defence and playmaking. This split of responsibilities has raised Toronto to heights that have not been reached since the early 2020s, and has begun the ushering in of a new identity to replace the last remnants of the championship squad.
Sharing the floor with other scorers like RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley has resulted in a slight dip in production for the Notorious B.I.3, but he still stands head and shoulders above the rest of the Raptors squad. Sharing those responsibilities has come hand-in-hand with fantastic team chemistry. William Lou of the Hello and Welcome Podcast posted footage of the team’s joyous celebration upon learning of Ingram’s award.
Ingram’s last All-Star season was in 2020, where he made the roster, as well as being named Most Improved Player in his first year with the New Orleans Pelicans. Ingram was 22 that season, and six years later, approaching 30, he is having a renaissance outside of the Big Easy. What Ingram has done to dig the Raptors out of a seemingly hopeless pit following the Raptors’ collapse in 2024 has already made him a part of Toronto history, but he has truly cemented himself as a team legend by being just the 10th Raptor named to an All-Star Roster.
The tandem of Ingram and Barnes look poised to lead the Raptors for years to come, and the duo ending up as All-Stars this season is a solid foundation for those ambitions.
