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Lakers Video: Dodgers Pitcher Roki Sasaki Meets LeBron James & Rui Hachimura

Ron Gutterman
3 Min Read
Roki Sasaki, LeBron James, Lakers, Dodgers
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 21: Roki Sasaki meets LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers before the game agains the e Washington Wizards on January 21, 2025 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)

While the Los Angeles Lakers are in the midst of their 2024-25 season, the headlines in L.A. this week belonged largely to the Dodgers. After winning a World Series in 2024 and already making some marquee signings, they added Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki to their rotation, bring another star to a city that already has LeBron James and many other incredible athletes.

Sasaki joins a Dodgers team that has Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto from Japan. And like the other two, Sasaki made a trip to the Lakers game to meet LeBron and fellow Japanese star Rui Hachimura.

The Lakers welcomed Sasaki by having him meet LeBron and Hachimura, getting a standing ovation from the L.A. crowd and getting a customized Lakers jersey:

Sasaki is expected to be a star in Major League Baseball, hence why the red carpet was rolled out for the flame-throwing starter. The Lakers have always been welcoming of Dodger players, as the two franchises have a shared respect as the premier L.A. teams.

The Dodgers did their job of winning a championship in 2024, and the Lakers are hopeful to hold up their end of things and make the necessary changes to try and win it all with LeBron at the helm.

Lakers less likely to go all-in via trade

As the NBA trade deadline approaches, it has become clear that the Lakers need to make more moves if they want to compete for a championship.

Rob Pelinka’s recent acquisition of Dorian Finney-Smith was a good one, but the team has still be mostly mediocre in recent weeks. The Lakers currently sit in sixth in the West so are very much in the mix, which means one or two good trades could vault them into contender status.

LeBron said as much after the team’s recent loss to the L.A. Clippers, stating that they have no margin for error as currently constructed. James has never been shy to talk about when he feels his team needs to make a big move, especially around this time of year.

According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic though, that big move may not be coming before the deadline on Feb. 6.

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By Ron Gutterman
Ron Gutterman is a Washington State University alum from Anaheim, California, and is currently a Staff Writer for LakersNation.com, RamsNewsWire.com, and RaidersNewsWire.com. He is also the lead editor for AngelsNation.com. With Lakers Nation, Rams News Wire, Raiders News Wire, and Angels Nation, Ron assists in news, game coverage, analysis, and hot takes via his Twitter account, @rongutterman24. Without a doubt, Ron's favorite Laker, and favorite athlete of all time, is Kobe Bryant. Ron began watching basketball when he was 6 years old, in 2005, when Bryant was dragging the likes of Smush Parker and Ronny Turiaf to playoff spots. Ron's all time favorite Lakers moment was Bryant's final game when he dropped 60 points. While the Lakers beating the Celtics in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, as Metta World Peace hit the game clinching three, will always be a top option, Bryant's final night takes the cake. Contact: ron@mediumlargela.com