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Lakers Media Day 2023 – Rui Hachimura Press Conference



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40 Comments

  11. Jerré

    Definitely can’t pull my guys Japanese card cause that brother spoke too well 😂

  16. JJ Wainwright

    He looks incredible. I want to see him keep building on what he brought last season. He will be a difference maker for sure. Super excited to have him back with us. Also, if he picks up on Lebron’s basketball IQ, he could be a real problem for the rest of the league.

  22. Danny Chu

    Can't wait to see Rui take that next step in his career. Anticipating a break out year from Rui!

  27. MojojojoTokyo

    1st JP interviewer: Last season was the closest you ever got to a championship. After experiencing something like that firsthand, how much more motivated does that make you and how have you prepared (or do you consider yourself totally prepared?)

    Hachimura: To be honest, with the Wizards, it wasn't about "Win a chip, win a chip," but rather, "Let's get to the playoffs." Joining a contender like the Lakers, it generates a different kind of motivation for this season. In preparation for a longer season (because of the playoffs), over the summer I've prepared both mentally and physically. In pursuit of the chip, as a team, even before training camp, we've worked on things like building chemistry and I believe that was helpful.

    2nd JP interviewer: How did you feel watching Japan compete in the FIBA World Cup and what are your thoughts currently on competing in the Paris Summer Olympics?

    Hachimura: After the contest I got in touch with Yuta (Watanabe), Yudai (Baba), and (Yuki) Togashi… I was really happy… I was cheering (screaming) from home. To qualify for the Olympics by their own strength***, I was really happy. Since we were young, the 4 of us were always motivated like, "Let's go, let's go!" I wasn't able to participate, but the 3 of them were able to get it done, including my share. (Makoto) Hiejima… and the young guys were able to get out there and get it done. The national team's win was a result of a built-up learnings and experiences as a team. I'm excited to see what happens.

    note***: this is the first time Japan qualified for Olympic basketball via competitive results since 1976. They played in Tokyo 2020 (which was actually in 2021, thanks COVID…) but had auto-qualification privileges as the host nation

    3rd JP interviewer: Tell us your goals for this season

    Hachimura: Of course the championship, that hasn't changed. Our core from last season has remained intact, so we have the chemistry. And I'm excited to see how the chemistry works with the new guys coming in. Personally, I'd like to be better at aggressively attacking the basket.

  31. Bee

    Whatever Lebron had him doing, he needs to keep doing. He looks totally different muscle wise. Like you can tell he's in shape. Like top physical shape

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