Los Angeles Lakers Star Gives Props to Japanese Baseball Players on Eve of NLDS

Speaking to the media on Thursday, Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura made an interesting admission about his life.

Japan small forward Rui Hachimura (8) walks off the court after being disqualified for a second unsportsmanlike foul against France in men’s basketball group B play during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy on July 30. / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

Speaking to the media on Thursday, Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura made an interesting revelation. He said that baseball was his first love and that the name "Rui" means "base" in Japanese.

Per Lauren Jones of the Sporting Tribune, Hachimura also said that his grandfather is probably disappointed that he chose basketball over baseball:

Rui Hachimura says baseball was his first sport: “My grandpa is probably so disappointed.” #Lakeshow @SportingTrib pic.twitter.com/i5Y6T0nkhG

— Lauren Jones (@LoJoMedia) October 3, 2024

Without the full context of the question in the above clip, it sounds as if Hachimura was asked about the impending National League Division Series between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers. He mentioned that Yu Darvish has served as a mentor for him in his career and also said he's excited by the success of Japanese players on the biggest stage. In addition to Darvish, he's presumably also talking about Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, both of the Dodgers.

The 26-year-old Hachimura played his college basketball at Gonzaga and is now in his sixth year in the NBA with the Washington Wizards and Lakers. He averaged 13.6 ppg in 68 games last season. He was born in Japan and has previously represented Japan in international competition, including this year's Olympics in Paris.

As for the Dodgers and Padres, that series begins on Saturday night in Los Angeles. The Padres just swept the Atlanta Braves in two games in the wild card round while the Dodgers enjoyed a first-round bye after earning the top seed in the National League bracket.

Game 1 will be Saturday at 8:38 p.m. ET. Dylan Cease will get ball for San Diego while Jack Flaherty pitches for LA.

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