Roki Sasaki Meets LeBron James & Rui Hachimura At Lakers Game
01/21/2025 11:19 PM
The Roki Sasaki sweepstakes reached a conclusion last week with his announcement of intending to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Sasaki chose the Dodgers over fellow finalists San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays. It’s believed Sasaki’s decision ultimately boiled down to choosing between the Blue Jays and Dodgers.
While Sasaki has yet to officially sign his Dodgers contract or hold a press conference, he was on hand at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night to watch the Los Angeles Lakers play the Washington Wizards.
Roki Sasaki is at the #Lakers game tonight. LeBron just dapped him up after finishing his pregame warmup routine. @DodgerBlue1958pic.twitter.com/YRlrZBuNaz
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) January 22, 2025
LeBron greets new LA Dodger pitcher Roki Sasaki before tip @Lakers x @Dodgerspic.twitter.com/DzYaXnFLyE
— NBA (@NBA) January 22, 2025
Sasaki met fellow Japanese native Rui Hachimura, who has often spoke fondly of Shohei Ohtani and drawing inspiration from the superstar.
Roki Sasaki received a No. 11 Lakers jersey tonight. pic.twitter.com/mpg7IvJLuZ
— Matthew Moreno (@Matthew__Moreno) January 22, 2025
Roki Sasaki got a big ovation from the #Lakers crowd.@DodgerBlue1958pic.twitter.com/XyyqUPhUxl
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) January 22, 2025
Sasaki additionally got to meet LeBron James and received a custom No. 11 Lakers jersey. That’s expected to be Sasaki’s Dodgers jersey number, with Miguel Rojas giving it up and returning to wearing No. 72.
Sasaki reportedly received a $6.5 million signing bonus, which required the Dodgers to complete separate trades to acquire more pool money. The Dodgers went into the 2025 international signing period with a bonus pool of $5,146,200, which was tied with the San Francisco Giants for the lowest total among all teams.
When is Roki Sasaki’s press conference?
There is the possibility Sasaki’s introductory press conference at Dodger Stadium will be held Wednesday, but the Dodgers have not yet announced details.
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