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Ingram flattered by Durant comparison

Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

When an 18-year-old is consistently told that they are the next incarnation of a globally-recognized multimillionaire - including by the globally-recognized multimillionaire himself - it would be understandable if that teenager became a little full of themselves.

Los Angeles Lakers rookie Brandon Ingram is trying to combat that.

"It’s a very special comparison," Ingram told The Vertical's Chris Mannix regarding the frequent comparisons to Kevin Durant. "But, of course, I know I'm not him. I know I'm not him yet, but I have the potential to make my own brand."

Durant said this week that looking at Ingram is like "looking in the mirror," even opining that the Duke product's development is actually further along than his was when he landed in the NBA in 2007.

One thing is for certain: At a listed 6-foot-9 and 190 pounds, Ingram is as skinny as Durant was when the latter debuted with the Seattle SuperSonics. According to Mannix, Ingram is on a 5,000-calorie-a-day diet with the intent of getting him up to 210 pounds for the season opener.

It also helps that Ingram grew up idolizing Durant.

"You grow up with him as an idol, and in a few months he's going to become my rival," Ingram said. "It's going to be a dream come true. I think just watching him for so long and having the ability to actually learn and play against him is just going to be a special motivation for me as a competitor and someone who really looked up to him."

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