LeBron James Links Up With New Dodgers Star Pitcher Roki Sasaki: VIDEO
LA sports have never been bigger, and the Los Angeles Dodgers reign king atop Los Angeles teams after another ridiculous offseason by their front office.
On Tuesday, NBA fans in the Southland were treated to All-Star talent after LA Lakers star LeBron James linked up with newly added Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki.
Magic Johnson owns part of the Dodgers and is a key figure in Lakers championship history, so premium tickets were probably not that difficult for Sasaki to come by. The 23-year-old ace greeted several Lakers players, including Rui Hachimura, who is also Japanese.
Roki also received a custom jersey from the Lakers ahead of the home game against Jordan Poole's Wizards.
The Lakers home crowd greeted their new Dodgers pitcher with a loud ovation during Saski's spotlight on the Jumbotron.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 20: Roki Sasaki #14 of Team Japan reacts after an out in the third inning against Team Mexico during the World Baseball Classic Semifinals at loanDepot park on March 20, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 21: Roki Sasaki and Rui Hachimura #28 of the Los Angeles Lakers smile before the game against the Washington Wizards on January 21, 2025 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
Sasaki was hailed by MLB fans as arguably the most hyped arm to come out of Japanese baseball.
Much like James' move to LA, the Dodgers front office fell on hands and knees to reel in Sasaki this offseason, reportedly beating out the Toronto Blue Jays and divisional rival San Diego Padres.
After landing baseball unicorn Shohei Ohtani and Japanese pitching star Yoshinobu Yamamoto last year (launching their journey to the Commissioner's Trophy), the Dodgers managed to out-bid the rest of baseball again, and it's making fans upset.
As OutKick's Ian Miller wrote, the Dodgers know how to close a deal, which is more of a strength than an issue for this club.
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