Adidas L.A. and Philippe’s joined forces Tuesday to celebrate the anniversary of National League owners voting unanimously to approve the Brooklyn Dodgers’ move to the West Coast, with the day including giveaways and a special appearance by Kiké Hernandez and Justin Turner.
The special event also saw the unveiling of a mural Jonas Never painted of Hernandez and Turner. Never was previously commissioned for a mural that depicts Turner’s walk-off home run from the 2017 National League Championship Series, LeBron James signing with the Lakers, and more.
“Adidas came to me and mentioned they wanted to honor Philippe’s and two of the biggest players on the Dodgers in Kiké and Justin,” Never told DodgerBlue.com. “We wanted to make sure Philippe’s and Los Angeles was all involved.”
The painting took Never approximately five days to complete; his schedule was thrown off some by rare rain in Los Angeles. Positives during that time were Turner setting a career high with five hits in a single game and Hernandez hitting a key pinch-hit home run.
“It was a good week to paint them,” Never said.
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With fans having already packed both of Philippe’s parking lots, Hernandez and Turner arrived to a loud applause. They got an up-close look at Never’s work and added their signatures to it for a finishing touch.
“It was a great day for Adidas and Philippe’s to honor the move of our historical franchise from Brooklyn to L.A. and to host it at a historic landmark in the heart of L.A. made it even more special,” Turner told DodgerBlue.com.
“The cherry on top was the mural Jonas did of Kiké and I in the parking lot across the street. And the outpouring support from our Dodger fans goes to show why we have the best fans in baseball.”
The two teammates hopped into the Adidas truck and thanked adoring fans for their support, then went into the restaurant to mingle with Philippe’s employees. “It’s great,” Hernandez said after signing autographs.
“The support here in L.A., this restaurant has been here for a long time, just like the Dodgers. To be able to do this with Adidas and fans is pretty cool and pretty special.”
