Arguably the biggest star in the city was at the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night as L.A. Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his wife Mamiko Tanaka were at Crypto.com Arena together for the first time.
Even though LeBron James didn’t play, it was a fun game as the Lakers cruised to victory over the Trail Blazers with Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura leading the way.
Ohtani seemed to be enjoying himself as the Lakers gifted jerseys to him and his wife, who is a former professional basketball player herself in Japan.
SHO-TIME 💜 💛 pic.twitter.com/p9hZFF8Nbb
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 9, 2024
On the same night that Juan Soto signed a monster contract with the New York Mets that surpassed Ohtani’s as the biggest in sports history, the latter didn’t seem to care and neither did L.A. fans as they showered the Dodgers star with cheers when he was shown on the videoboard in the arena.
No longer the recipient of the biggest contract in American sports history. pic.twitter.com/WsMC4cFqvg
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) December 9, 2024
Ohtani ended up winning the World Series in his first season with the Dodgers, similar to what Davis did in his first season with the Lakers.
The purple and gold are not just fighting to make the playoffs though, so maybe Ohtani’s presence in the city will give them a little extra motivation throughout the year.
Rui Hachimura appreciates support from Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani has a previous relationship with a Lakers player as Rui Hachimura is also from Japan and has met the Dodgers star in the past.
Hachimura didn’t get to talk to Ohtani on Sunday night but appreciates that he came to the game to support him and the team in the midst of his offseason.
“I didn’t know he was gonna come. I found out right before the game,” Hachimura said. “He’s a very low-key guy. He don’t want to be in the scene like that, so, yeah, but I think it’s good that we both played in the most highest level in sports leagues, and especially in L.A., that’s like biggest markets here. We support each other. He supported us. Support me. I support, of course, they won, but I think that kind of motivated me, too. I want to win here, and we have a lot of chances this year, too. That’s a great moment for sure.”
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