Hachimura: Leaving Lakers Was Tough, But I'm Happy to Stay in LA

Rui Hachimura’s return to Crypto.com Arena last Friday was a mix of nostalgia and awkward humor. The former Lakers forward joked around with Luka Doncic during warmups and greeted old teammates, but when he tried to walk toward the locker room, he had to remind the security guard that he no longer belonged there. “That was funny because … the security guard, he didn’t even realize that,” Hachimura told the California Post ^[1]. He added, “I was like, ‘Hey, you gotta stop me.’”

For Hachimura, the emotional weight of leaving Los Angeles was real. He signed a two-year, $28 million contract with the Clippers in July, ending a 3 ½-season tenure with the Lakers. “It was tough,” Hachimura told the New York Post ^[1]. “That’s my second free agency. Of course I was trying to get the extension from [the Lakers]. It didn’t work out, but it is what it is.”

According to the New York Post ^[1], Hachimura stated that the decision to part ways was not his own. “It’s on them,” he said when asked what led to his departure. “It wasn’t me. It was them.” He noted that while the Lakers were interested in retaining him, they had to relinquish cap holds to make other free agency additions, making his return unlikely. A potential sign-and-trade was pursued by his camp, but the Lakers did not participate, leading him to sign with the Clippers outright.

Despite the exit, Hachimura remains on good terms with his former teammates. Austin Reaves told the New York Post ^[1] that Hachimura is “one of my favorite teammates I’ve ever had,” recalling how the quiet forward eventually became the life of the party. Lakers coach JJ Redick also praised Hachimura’s development into an elite shooter, noting his career-high 51.6% 3-point shooting accuracy in the postseason, which is an NBA record.

Now, Hachimura is a central figure in the Clippers’ offense, taking a career-high 12.7 field-goal attempts per game. He credits his development to Lakers assistant coach Beau Levesque, whom he calls “my guy.” However, he will not play in Wednesday’s matchup against his former team due to quad soreness, as reported by ESPN ^[2]. The Lakers will also be without Luka Doncic, who leads the NBA in scoring with 36.0 points per game but is sidelined by back tightness. Ziaire Williams is also out for Los Angeles with foot soreness.

“I miss them, it was a good time — was a great time with them,” Hachimura told the New York Post ^[1]. “I can still continue my career in LA, too, so I’m happy [about] that.”