Straight Talk: Rui Hachimura on being Lakers' X factor
"My mindset is that when I enter the game, when I play, I definitely want to change the flow, or make things go in our favor, if things are going well, I want to help maintain that."
Mar 30, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) is defended by Washington Wizards guard Jamir Watkins (5) forward Anthony Gill (16) as he drives to the basket in the second half at Crypto. com Arena. "Straight Talk" is a regular feature in which The Sporting Tribune's John E.
Gibson offers a full translation of media availability with Dodgers Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. He will also help translate when Lakers star Rui Hachimura and LA Galaxy captain Maya Yoshida are asked questions in Japanese. The job of interpreters in the heat of the moment is difficult without the ability to write down questions and answers and re-hear responses for proper context.
That's where John comes in to help. John currently works as a Japanese-English interpreter and covered pro baseball in Japan for about 20 years. His experience as a sports reporter includes stints at The Orange County Register, The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, The Redlands Daily Facts, The Yomiuri Shimbun’s English newspaper in Tokyo and The Epoch Times.
LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Lakers star Rui Hachimura answered a couple of questions in Japanese after he scored 14 points in a 120-101 victory for Los Angeles over the Washington Wizards on Monday night at Crypto. com Arena. His answers in Japanese start at the five minute mark.