UNC’s Harrison Ingram selected by Spurs in Thursday’s second round of NBA Draft

Harrison Ingram transferred to North Carolina to play in the NCAA Tournament and hear his name during the NBA Draft. As of Thursday, he has accomplished both goals.

Ingram was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round on Thursday night. He was the No. 48 pick overall and the only draftee for the Tar Heels. He is the program’s first draft choice since the Phoenix Suns drafted Day’Ron Sharpe in 2021 with the 29th overall pick.

“I’ve been working for this my whole life,” Ingram said in a TV interview with ESPN. “To be here in New York and hear my name called, I can’t really explain how it feels. All glory to my family. The work wins. I put a lot of work in, I got injured throughout the [draft] process, but I just trust the work and trust everything I did.”

Ingram, a 6-5 forward, earned an invitation to the NBA Combine, where heIngram measured 6-foot-5 1/4 and 233 pounds with a 7-foot-1/4 inch wingspan.

The forward from Dallas, Texas, helped UNC win the ACC regular season title and earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. He opted to enter the draft after the Heels’ season ended in March, forgoing his senior season.

Despite playing just one season with the Tar Heels, Ingram made a quick impact with his personality, energy and versatility. Those characteristics earned him third team All-ACC honors and the team’s Danny Green Most Improved Player award.

“He’s always bringing in energy and effort, enthusiasm, a toughness about him,” UNC head coach Hubert Davis said in January.

“Harrison, he just checks so many boxes,” Davis added a few days later. “It’s shooting, posting up, passing, rebounding, big plays. He’s just really having a lot of fun out there.”

Ingram finished with 11 double-doubles on the season — in games which Carolina went 10-1 — and averaged 12.2 points per game, 8.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists. In ACC play alone, he led the league with 10.9 rebounds against conference opponents. Ingram pulled down 10 or more rebounds in 17 games, including four outings of 15 or more. Carolina won all four contests.

The junior’s achievements continued with 28 games of double-figure scoring, a team-high 51 steals and at least three 3-point baskets in 10 games.

Ingram increased his 3-point efficiency while at Carolina, boosting his shooting percentage from 31.6% during his two years with Stanford to 38.5% for the Tar Heels.

Armando Bacot credited Ingram for the team’s success this season and his do-it-all mentality for UNC.

“Trusting each other has been a huge thing. I know if I make a mistake Harry will pick up from me and vice versa,” Bacot said after the comeback win at Florida State. “Those things I think is just for us, especially in situations like that; when we’re down and we need a rally and come back. It’s a commodity that we’ve got in those situations.”