TORONTO – Brandon Ingram doesn’t want the validation of basketball fans.

He just wants to finally hit the court with his new Toronto Raptors teammates and confirm to himself that he still has what it takes to play in the NBA.

Ingram spoke at length about how eager he is to start playing in actual games at the Raptors media day on Monday. The small forward was sent to Toronto by the New Orleans Pelicans back in February ahead of the NBA’s trade deadline but he never laced up for the Raptors as he recovered from a left ankle sprain.

“Rather than proving people wrong, it’s just proving to myself who I am,” said Ingram at Hotel X in downtown Toronto. “Stepping into a new role, new teammates, new coaches, having the responsibility of being my best self every day and winning basketball games.

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