Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, the new star of the Los Angeles Dodgers, already began to feel what it is like to belong to a team in the city and went to see a Lakers game courtside at the Crypto.com Arena, where as the star he was welcomed by the public and by the leader of the team, LeBron James.

While Sasaki calmly watched the players warm up in the shooting practice from the front row, he was surprised by LeBron James, who went to greet him and exchanged a brief chat, in which it was evident that it was a special attention that the Japanese pitcher did not expect.

The reception was rounded off with a resounding victory for the Lakers 111-88 over the Washington Wizards, with a stellar performance from King James, who recorded a triple-double.

Roki Sasaki receives a million-dollar bonus for signing with the Dodgers

Roki Sasaki was introduced by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, but before the big event, the team announced its agreement with the Japanese pitcher, with whom they have reached a Minor League agreement for $6.5 million.

A 23-year-old right-hander whose fastball tops 100 mph, Sasaki announced his intention to sign with the Dodgers on Friday and was introduced at a press conference Wednesday at Dodger Stadium. He joined compatriots Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the Dodgers in a decision that many baseball executives had long expected.

For the 2025 Major League Baseball season, the Los Angeles Dodgers are aiming to have a six-man rotation with Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, Shohei Ohtani and the possible return of Clayton Kershaw.