Former Los Angeles Lakers guard and current South Bay Lakers player Andre Ingram racked up some significant cash winnings on Wheel of Fortune.
Ingram was a guest on Friday’s Disney Secret Santa edition of the show, where he proved to be a natural at guessing word clues. While he failed to solve the game’s final puzzle, Ingram still walked away with an impressive $31,750. His winnings will be matched for a Wheel Watchers Club member at home.
Speaking after the episode, Ingram said he was “probably more nervous” doing Wheel of Fortune than playing basketball. “You know, basketball, you’re so used to it. I’ve been doing it for years. This is like, you know, once in a lifetime.”
Tonight’s Secret Santa episode was a slam dunk for André! He won over $31,000! 🤩 Hurry and check your SPIN ID to see if you won all that cash, too! https://t.co/JB1AVJCnhV @MaggieSajak pic.twitter.com/UM1OKLfH0t
— Wheel of Fortune (@WheelofFortune) December 11, 2021
Ingram, a career G-Leaguer, who has played 13 seasons of professional basketball, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that he made sure to watch Wheel every night alongside his training after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the G-League to shut down. Eventually, he decided to audition.
“We were just watching one day and saw they were still holding auditions,” Ingram said. “I was like, ‘man, we’re not going anywhere any time soon. Why not?’”
Ingram is currently hoping to get called back up to the NBA. He had previously played two games for the LA Lakers, making an inspirational debut at 32-years-old when he scored 19 points on eight shots.
Correction: A previous version of this article said that Ingram was donating his winnings to a fan at home. He will actually keep the money. Wheel will award a matching prize to the winning SPIN ID winner if they claim the prize.
Wheel of Fortune, Syndicated, check local listings
