As Rui Hachimura walked into Crypto.com Arena on Friday night for a basketball game for the first time in five months, many familiar faces and sights awaited him.
There was Hachimura on the Lakers’ home court, joking around with franchise superstar Luka Doncic while both were going through their pregame warmups.
There was the 6-foot-8 forward embracing star guard Austin Reaves and greeting multiple Lakers assistant coaches as he walked around the court.
There was the former Gonzaga Bulldog receiving a positive ovation from the fans after being introduced in the starting lineup, with a tribute video showing on the Jumbotron midway through the first quarter.
There was the 2019 first-round pick, whom the Lakers acquired from the Wizards in January 2023, acting like he was going to walk into the Lakers’ locker room before reminding the security guard that it shouldn’t be happening anymore.
“That was funny because … the security guard, he didn’t even realize that,” Hachimura told the California Post.
Hachimura added: “I was like, ‘Hey, you gotta stop me.’ “
If it were up to Hachimura, those familiar sights and feelings would still be part of his routine with the Lakers.
But after 3 ½ seasons with the franchise, Hachimura was on the other side of what used to be called “The Hallway Rivalry” — and what The Post’s Melissa Rohlin has now dubbed the “Freeway Snore.”
And he’ll be reminded of the change again when the Lakers visit the Intuit Dome on Wednesday, though he won’t play due to quad soreness sidelining him for the matchup.
Hachimura is no longer a Laker after signing a two-year, $28 million contract with the Clippers in July.
He was one of the several players who left the franchise over the summer as part of the roster reconstruction around Doncic and Reaves, which included acquiring Walker Kessler and eight other players.
“It was tough,” Hachimura told The Post about his free agency. “That’s my second free agency. Of course I was trying to get the extension from [the Lakers]. It didn’t work out, but it is what it is. We have to move on at some point.”
The Lakers were interested in retaining Hachimura. And he would’ve liked to return to the franchise.
“That was the point,” he responded to The Post when asked whether he wanted to stay with the Lakers.
But that didn’t come to fruition.
“It’s my agent and those guys who [were] in the talks,” Hachimura told The Post. “I don’t know what the [talks were], but I’m happy that I’m here.”
The Lakers made a slew of additions within the first few days of free agency: The Kessler acquisition opened the floodgates for the initial signings of Quentin Grimes (four years, $60 million, Sandro Mamukelashvili (four years, $52 million) and Collin Sexton (two years, $19 million).
But to make those additions with their $50 million-plus in cap space, the Lakers had to relinquish the cap holds for most of their free agents, including Hachimura, making it unlikely they’d return to the franchise.
Hachimura said he didn’t know whether the Lakers offered him a new contract during the summer after the three-year, $51 million deal he signed with the franchise during the 2023 offseason expired in late June.
“It’s on them,” he responded to The Post when asked what led to his departure from the Lakers. “It wasn’t me. It was them.”
Hachimura reiterated the reporting from the summer that he and the Clippers had reached an agreement during the early stages of free agency.
A potential sign-and-trade between the Lakers and Clippers was pursued by Hachimura’s camp, which would’ve led Hachimura signing a longer contract with his new team, but the Lakers didn’t participate and Hachimura signed with the Clippers outright.
“It was already done,” he told The Post. “I just didn’t do it right away.”
Hachimura is still held in high regard by his former teammates.
“He’s one of my favorite teammates I’ve ever had,” Reaves said. “I made a joke the other day that I didn’t know if he spoke English for the first two weeks. We sat by each other on the plane his first year and I would say ‘hey’ to him. He kind of just looked at me and [nodded].
“And then after that I couldn’t get him to shut up. Always in a good mood, happy to be here, puts the work in, and it’s just good to see him be happy and successful and enjoying his life.”
Los Angeles, and the Lakers specifically, is where he developed into “an unbelievable shooter,” according to Lakers coach JJ Redick.
He shot 41.5% from beyond the arc in his 3 ½ seasons with the Lakers, including 50.7% in the playoffs.
His 51.6% career 3-point shooting accuracy in the postseason is an NBA record.
“Rui in terms of just his offensive packaging and becoming one of the best shooters in the NBA, we got him at a good point in his career,” Redick added. “Just one of my favorite players I’ve ever been around in the NBA and one of my favorite players I’ve ever coached. And it’s because of just the consistency of joy and personality that he brings every day.”
Redick credited Lakers assistant coach Beau Levesque for helping Hachimura develop his “laser mentality.”
“Beau is my guy,” Hachimura told The Post. “Since he got there, he was the guy [who] helped me elevate my game.”
Hachimura hopes to continue to elevate his game with the Clippers.
He’s no longer playing off star players such as Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Doncic and Reaves.
He’s a more significant part of the Clippers’ offense, which is reflected in him taking a career-high 12.7 field-goal attempts entering Wednesday after averaging a career-low 8.8 shots last season.
“I miss them, it was a good time — was a great time with them,” Hachimura told The Post about his time with the Lakers. “I can still continue my career in LA, too, so I’m happy [about] that.”
