Although Kobe Bryant is a Lakers legend, his love for the Los Angeles Dodgers was known throughout the country. There are many pictures and footage of him rooting for his favorite MLB team, which also represents the city he loved so much. But even beyond the grave, Kobe Bryant keeps helping the teams that represent his spirit. As it turns out, Bryant was already aware of Shohei Ohtani’s incredible talents back in 2017. He knew enough about Shohei to record a message three years before his untimely passing, asking Ohtani directly to become a Dodger. This was the ace under the team’s sleeve, one that they used with perfect timing and as a resource that would convince Ohtani. A pice of footage the Dodgers asked Kobe to film when Ohtani was about to arrive to Major League Baseball from the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters that did wonders in 2023.
Shohei Ohtani dons Dodgers jersey and cap for first time, new era begins
Shohei Ohtani felt chills when he saw Kobe say his name
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Ohtani sawthe video and suddenly understood how important it was for the Dodgers’ leadership to lure him to the team. They had been sitting on this video for the last six years where Kobe directly talks to the Japanese phenom and pitches him the idea to play for the team he adores. Ohtani reportedly said: “That was one of the highlights of the whole thing. I was really surprised to see it. It was a strong and touching message.” A message we can only imagine for now but the Dodgers can hopefully make public in the future. Now that Ohtani became part of the franchise, hearing Kobe’s pitch that helped convince him should be known by everybody and part of the history books.
Kobe Bryant had that visionary aspect to his character, he dipped his toes in as many sports as he could. You could wax poetic with him for hours about European football, MLB, and even the NFL. The man was a sports icon with vast knowledge that became evident to Ohtani when he saw that video. But more importatly, Kobe Bryant was always a champion for Los Angeles’ sports scene and one of the city’s most important embassadors. If Ohtani was leaning to play for the Toronto Blue Jays at any point in the negotiations, they Kobe video must’ve played a key role in making him recosider his choice. Well played Dodgers, well played.