New Los Angeles Dodgers Star Roki Sasaki Sits Courtside at Lakers Game

Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki is soaking up the spotlight in the wake of joining the Los Angeles Dodgers, meeting LeBron James and Rui Hachimura at the Lakers game on Tuesday.
Jan 21, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA;  Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki attends the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Washington Wizards at Crypto.com Arena.
Jan 21, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki attends the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Washington Wizards at Crypto.com Arena. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Roki Sasaki only just decided to join the Los Angeles Dodgers last Friday, but he has wasted no time getting acclimated to his new home.

Sasaki, the 23-year-old Japanese ace who picked the Dodgers over the San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays, attended Tuesday night's showdown between the Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards at Crypto.com Arena. He sat courtside, just like many Hollywood stars and celebrities before him.

Before the game, Lakers superstar LeBron James was going through shootaround in front of Sasaki. On his way back to the locker room, James introduced himself to the young right-hander.

Lakers forward Rui Hachiumra also trotted over to meet Sasaki, teaching him how to make the "LA" sign with his hands.

Sasaki appeared to have a longer conversation with Hachimura than he did with James, which checks out since Hachimura was born and raised in Japan. He is one of just two active Japanese players in the NBA, having played more games in his career than any other Japanese-born player before him.

Sasaki bore witness to a 111-88 win for the Lakers, in which Hachimura scored nine points against his former team and James recorded a triple-double.

The Dodgers' big league Spring Training camp doesn't start until Feb. 11, so Sasaki still has a few more weeks to familiarize himself with Los Angeles.

Sasaki went 29-15 with a 2.10 ERA, 0.894 WHIP and 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings during his time in Nippon Professional Baseball. He scored a $6.5 million signing bonus last weekend and is under club control for six years.

The Dodgers' new-look rotation, featuring Sasaki and Blake Snell, could very well help them become the first back-to-back World Series champions since the New York Yankees in 2000.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's All Bruins, 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' Bruin Blitz, the Bleav Podcast Network and the Daily Bruin, with his work as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk.