The Los Angeles Dodgers went all out for their free agency meeting with Shohei Ohtani earlier this month in an attempt to land the player they’ve coveted for years.
As part of their meeting, the Dodgers played a video of late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant attempting to recruit Ohtani when he first made the jump to MLB prior to the 2018 season.
The Dodgers never got to show Ohtani the video as he went on to join the Los Angeles Angels. However, the team saved it in the chance they would get a second opportunity to sign the two-way star, per Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
The Dodgers had commissioned a recruiting video from Kobe Bryant to sell the perks of playing in Los Angeles. They never got the chance to show it to Ohtani, stashing it for a second meeting that never came, as Ohtani chose the Angels.
Those who were in the room when the video played believe Bryant’s words resonated with Ohtani:
When the Dodgers finally played it for him, nearly four years after Bryant’s death, the Lakers star’s face flashed on the screen and his voice filled the room. Multiple people who saw the video believe it captivated Ohtani.
“He was just locked in on it,” one person said.
“It was a special video,” another said.
There are few others who could match Bryant’s cache when it comes to touting Los Angeles as a sports city and advocating for the Dodgers.
Bryant helped inspire a generation of athletes during his time with the Lakers, and now nearly four years after his tragic death, he is continuing to make a positive impact.
Dodgers hopeful Shohei Ohtani will continue recruiting free agents
Similar to how Bryant helped recruit Ohtani to the Dodgers, the team hopes the 29-year-old will use his star power to do the same.
Ohtani has already played an important role this offseason in helping recruit Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the team.
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