Correspondent Lee Eui-jin = Rui Hachimura (25), a Japanese player who matches hands and feet with NBA’s “King” LeBron James (39), is the “legend” of the Los Angeles (LA) Lakers. ) was delighted to be playing for Kobe Bryant’s team.
Hachimura said at a press conference held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, USA on the 25th (Korean time), “I’m really excited. I’m happy to be a part of LA,” and “one of the most famous teams in Japan.”
Hachimura, who joined the Lakers through a trade from the Washington Wizards, said, “I’ve been watching his games since I started playing basketball at the age of 13,” referring to club legend Bryant.
In fact, while in Washington, Hachimura wore number 8 as his uniform number, which Bryant used from 1996 to 2007.
When Bryant passed away in an unexpected helicopter accident in 2020, Hachimura expressed his condolences on Twitter, writing, “He wasn’t just a basketball player, he was my hero. But I’ve only seen him once so far.”
After Bryant’s retirement in 2016, the Lakers, who had been in the lower ranks, faced a new phase in 2018 when James, another NBA legend and called ‘King’, joined.
With James’ great success in the 2019-2020 season, he even held the championship trophy in 10 years.
The Lakers’ calculation is that they will aim to advance to the PO by strengthening the forward position, which is a weakness, by recruiting Hachimura, while falling to 13th place in the Western Conference with 22 wins and 26 losses this season.
Hachimura was confident in working with James, saying, “I can score three points, shoot from a distance, and break through.” 안전놀이터
James, who is credited with breaking through ‘without knowing it’, has traditionally boasted synergy with shooters who can disperse defenders under the opponent’s goal.
Hachimura expressed his expectation, saying, “I can show cut-in and rebound even without holding the ball, and I can increase my attack speed,” and “(playing with James and Davis) is really cool.”
Hachimura, whose father is from Benin and her mother is Japanese, is a graduate of Gonzaga University, a prestigious NCAA basketball team joined by Yeo Jun-seok (21). all.
This season, he was averaging 13 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 30 appearances for Washington. His NBA career averages are 13 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in 177 games.
On the 22nd of this month, against the Orlando Magic, he scored 30 points, a tie record for the most points in an individual game, and this game became his last game for Washington.
Hachimura is expected to make his Lakers debut on the 26th in a home game against the San Antonio Spurs.