Staples Center stirred in anticipation as a thin 32-year-old rookie with taught cheek bones and gray speckled hair walked over to the scorer's table to check in. The arena erupted when the part-time math tutor made his first three pointer.
In one corner of the arena an "Ingram" chant began, and they weren't talking about Brandon. They were talking about the man who spent 10 years playing in tiny gyms or practice facilities, in far-flung towns in flyover states, hoping someday he'd get a chance in the NBA.
When the fans chanted "M-V-P," they didn't mean James Harden, who was also on the court.