In a heartwarming and culturally enriching gesture, the Los Angeles Lakers recently released a social media video featuring their star players speaking Japanese. This initiative beautifully highlights the team’s commitment to engaging with their diverse fanbase worldwide, but this also means it was a hilarious moment for fans to enjoy.
Player Rui Hachimura started the video master class with a simple question, “can you say konnichiwa?” Some players struggled to even pronounce it while other excelled. D’Angello Russell,LeBron James, Anthony Davis and even Bronny James were ready for the challenge.
LeBron and Bronny James surprise by speaking Japanese in a Lakers video that takes social media by storm
What had the fans and followers was that the players were trying to figure out the meaning of the word. Russell said it meant “goodbye” and Dalton Knecht said it was a city or a soup, but King James nailed it and other followed. “I know this already, Rui,” Davis said laughing.
The culture depth in the team
Rui Hachimura was born in Toyama, Japan, and he possesses a unique heritage with a Japanese mother and a Beninese father. Standing at 6’8″ and weighing 229 lbs, Hachimura plays both the small forward and power forward positions.
His basketball journey began in Japan, leading his high school team to three consecutive national titles before moving to the U.S. to play for Gonzaga University. In the 2019 NBA Draft, he was selected 9th overall by the Washington Wizards and later traded to the Lakers in 2023.
Hachimura is not only known for his versatility and skill on the court but also for his dedication to promoting basketball in Japan and representing his country on the international stage and now being in Los Angeles, the team is taking advantage of that to try and reach out to the Japanese community in Southern California.
