Midway through the 2022-23 season, the Los Angeles Lakers were struggling to become competitive again. It was their second season with Russell Westbrook, and as they looked to unload him in a trade, they were also dealing with an right foot injury superstar big man Anthony Davis suffered in mid-December that forced him to miss several weeks.
On Jan. 23, 2023, they gave their roster a boost by acquiring forward Rui Hachimura from the Washington Wizards for guard Kendrick Nunn and three second-round draft picks. Hachimura had then been viewed as a bit of a disappointment, but he raised his game in his three and a half seasons with the Lakers.
He departed this summer to join the Los Angeles Clippers, but when the Lakers hosted the Clippers on Friday, they made sure to show Hachimura some appreciation for his time with them.
Part of the Lakers' tribute video for Rui Hachimura: pic.twitter.com/GqWzZzkGrM
— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) October 24, 2026
During his time with the Purple and Gold, Hachimura averaged 12.3 points a game during the regular season and 13.4 points a game during the playoffs. He worked hard to improve his 3-point shooting, and he ended up shooting 41.5% from that distance in the regular season during his time with them. He is currently the NBA's leader in career playoff 3-point accuracy at 51.6%.
The Lakers will miss Hachimura's complementary scoring and ability to get buckets in isolation situations. But they have assembled a deep and relatively balanced roster this season around Luka Doncic, and they're now 2-0 after getting past Hachimura and the Clippers 125-117 on Friday. Hachimura had 16 points on 5-of-14 shooting in his return to Crypto.com Arena.
This article originally appeared on Lakers Wire: Lakers pay tribute to Rui Hachimura in his return to Crypto.com Arena