Brandon Ingram Cracked Up As Scottie Barnes Snuck Into Introductory Press Conference

Scottie was sly.
Scottie Barnes blends in at Brandon Ingram's press conference
Scottie Barnes blends in at Brandon Ingram's press conference / Screengrab via Libaan Osman (@libaanstar1) of the Toronto Star on X/Twitter
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Scottie Barnes wasn't fooling anyone as he welcomed his newest teammate Brandon Ingram to Toronto.

The New Orleans Pelicans traded Ingram to the Toronto Raptors at the NBA trade deadline, and he quickly signed a shiny, new three-year, $120 million extension with his new team.

The Raptors held a press conference to introduce Ingram on Wednesday and his new teammates wanted to join in on the fun. He spotted some fellow Raptors who tried to blend in amongst the sea of media members, including Barnes and head coach Darko Rajaković.

"I appreciate everybody for welcoming me with open arms," Ingram said to reporters via Libaan Osman of the Toronto Star. "[Ja'Kobe Walter], that's going to be my dog, that's going to be my rook. Scottie, I appreciate him, I think he's going to bring the goofy side out of me. ... Everybody over there, they have been welcoming and I appreciate every last one of them."

Barnes hilariously had his hood pulled up and used it to cover his mouth and nose, paired with big sunglasses to complete his undercover identity. Ingram already committed to Toronto for the long haul, so his new team had to show up for the welcome, too.

Ingram has been sidelined since early December with an ankle injury. His Raptor debut will wait until after the All-Star break, at least. He has averaged 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game this season in 18 appearances with New Orleans.


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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.