Roki Sasaki spent the night at the Lakers game, meeting LeBron James and watching the NBA legend make history during a win over the Wizards.
Shortly before LeBron James posted his 121st career triple-double, he met with Los Angeles’ newest star in Dodgers pitcher Rōki Sasaki, who announced last week that he would be signing with the reigning World Series champions.
The 23-year-old Japanese ace got an up close and personal look at the Lakers’ 111-88 win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night with courtside seats as James starred with 21 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds.
Rōki Sasaki and Lebron James 🤯🤝
The Dodgers new signing meeting the Lakers at https://t.co/B5n8BCPPGE arena. pic.twitter.com/7yVk7T8y0V
— ESPN Los Angeles (@ESPNLosAngeles) January 22, 2025
Sasaki then met with Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, who is also from Japan, and the two posed for a photo while making the “LA” hand sign. The Los Angeles crowd later gave the new Dodgers pitcher a welcome when he was shown on the arena scoreboard during a stoppage in play.
It also wouldn’t be a celebrity visit to a Laker game without a personalized jersey either.
Roki Sasaki received a No. 11 Lakers jersey tonight. pic.twitter.com/mpg7IvJLuZ
— Matthew Moreno (@Matthew__Moreno) January 22, 2025
It was quite a night for Sasaki. He got to meet a superstar player and watch him make history as James became the second NBA player 40 years old or older to record a triple-double, joining Karl Malone.
Sasaki still has a few more weeks until Dodgers spring training begins with pitchers scheduled to report on Feb. 10. That’s more than enough time to continue familiarizing himself with the city and get a real feel for what he can expect from Los Angeles as a sport town.
