Report: Lakers forward Rui Hachimura to be featured in episode of popular anime series

Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura reportedly will be featured in the popular anime series “Crayon Shin-chan” in a new episode next month.

Hachimura will play himself in a cameo with a series of promotional images featuring the Lakers forward in the anime’s traditional art style. Hachimura will be in the episode “The Adventures of Buri Buri Zaemon: Space Dunk Edition” which is set to debut on Nov. 4.

The episode reportedly will feature Hachimura attempting to stop a massive meteorite headed toward Earth with the biggest slam dunk of his career.

It’s cool to see the Lakers forward getting the recognition and the chance to appear in the anime series, as he’s become an important part of Los Angeles success since coming to the team prior to the trade deadline last season. Hachimura and his family are supposedly big fans of the show and are considering the cameo a “dream come true.”

The former No. 9 overall pick appeared in 33 games with the Lakers in the regular season during the 2022-23 campaign, making nine starts.

For the entire 2022-23 season, Hachimura averaged 11.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game while shooting 48.6 percent from the field and 31.9 percent from beyond the arc.

This past offseason, Hachimura was a restricted free agent, but the Lakers made sure to keep him on the roster going forward. He ended up signing a three-year, $51 million deal with the Lakers.

During last season’s playoff run, Hachimura showed that he can provide a massive scoring lift off the bench for Los Angeles.

The Gonzaga University product had four games with 20 or more points for the Lakers. His biggest performance came in Game 1 of the first round against the Memphis Grizzlies.

In that game, Hachimura was lights out from beyond the arc, hitting 5-of-6 attempts from 3, on his way to a 29-point game.

So far this season (two games), Hachimura is averaging 6.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. He hasn’t seen a ton of minutes, playing less than 20 minutes in each game for the Lakers to start the season.

If Hachimura continues to succeed in Los Angeles, it’s possible that he could get more off-the-court opportunities like appearing in this anime series.

The episode with Hachimura is on Nov. 4 – the same day the Lakers play the Orlando Magic – but it’s possible Lakers fans can find a way to watch both to support Hachimura.