Born and raised in Danville, Illinois, Donte Ingram knew he wanted to have a professional career playing basketball from a very young age. Growing up in Danville, he quickly realized that there weren’t a lot of exposure opportunities to showcase his talents on the court. Shortly after, his dad began to drive him up to Chicago to play basketball in a small league. As his accolades and notoriety continued to increase, Donte joined the Mean Streets AAU team during his freshman year of high school. It was only up from there! He not only continued to strengthen his skills on the court and establish his name in Chicago’s basketball scene, but he also began exploring the opportunity of moving to the Windy City. During his sophomore year, he took that leap of faith. Donte and his family moved to Chicago and he continued his high school career at Simeon Career Academy—playing alongside guys such as Jabari Parker, Kendrick Nunn, Jaylon Tate, D.J. Williams, and Zach Norvell. Throughout his years at Simeon, Donte continued to mold his game and shape his identity both on and off the court. After graduating high school, he continued his basketball career at Loyola University Chicago. At Loyola, he not only elevated his game every season, but he also achieved a series of accomplishments throughout his time there—including an incredible Final Four run during his senior year. As his collegiate career came to an end, Donte was committed to taking the next step. He wanted to begin his professional career. Little did he know, but the opportunity to turn his dreams into reality was right around the corner. In his rookie year, he played in the NBA Summer League with the Chicago Bulls, signed an Exhibit 10 with the Dallas Mavericks, and played for their G-League team—the Texas Legends. It doesn’t stop there. This past season, Donte played for the Greensboro Swarm—the Charlotte Hornets G-League team. As he looks forward to his third year in the league, he is excited to continue evolving his game on the court and strengthening his knowledge on the business side of sports at the professional level, as well as using his platform to give back to his community.
What was that transition from college into the league like for you? What were some of the challenges that you faced early on?
I think that from college to the professional level, you have to understand that you're going to be in a completely different atmosphere. When you look at college, you are with a group of guys for four years—so it's more of a family atmosphere because you're with the same group of guys for a long time. You are getting to know each other, and are building that chemistry. When you get to the professional level, there are guys getting traded in and out by the week sometimes. I had to approach the game differently—you have to try and work up that chemistry with other guys on the court so everything flows well. When you get to the professional level, you also have to think about the fact that you don't have any school work anymore. It goes from, “Man I have class from 9am-3pm. Then I have to go to practice and work out. I gotta go to study hall too to do a paper after,” to having to be really disciplined and understand time management at the professional level. You know, when you get to that next level, you have so much time on your hands. You (have to) remember that a lot of that is just to put in the work, work on your craft, and get better. I think that was the biggest thing for me (early on)—understanding time management and the discipline it takes to stick with a consistent schedule to remain focused.
You made a great point early on when you mentioned trades and guys coming in and out of organizations—since it is a business at the end of the day. Mentally, what was that process like for you and how did you prepare yourself to understand that those are some of the realities of the business?
Man, I think that you just have to understand mentally that you can never doubt yourself or question your abilities. You have to understand, like I said, that it is not a four-year commitment with a team all the time. It's more of a business. For me individually, as a player, I just focused on continuing to be better, bring what I bring to the table to the best of my capabilities, and just remember (that) the rest will take care of itself. You know, sometimes guys get traded and they feel a certain way. They get caught up in, "Why did I get traded? What did I do for them to not want me?” Once you get past that mental state and you understand that: “You know what, this is a business. At the end of the day, if I am taking care of myself and what I need to do on the court, everything else will flow from there," it works out in your favor.
Once you graduated from college and looked to play basketball at the next level, how did you maintain that confidence as you started your career playing in the G-League and in the NBA Summer League with the Chicago Bulls?
I think it was something where, for me as a player, I never wanted to doubt myself. I always have confidence in myself no matter what ups and downs I'm going through. I know that I am going to continue to put in that work every day to get better. I've always had that chip on my shoulder, that underdog mentality. You know, I always feel like I belong on the court no matter who's running. That has always been my mindset. When I'm stepping on the court, no matter who else is out there—obviously at this level there will always be high-level, skilled, and talented guys on the court—I think to myself, “I belong here and I can compete at a high level.” I think that mental toughness is key.
During the offseason, how do you work to hold yourself accountable to perfecting your craft?