Shohei Ohtani says old Kobe Bryant recruitment video was 'one of the highlights' of Dodgers' free agency pitch

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It was pretty easy for Shohei Ohtani to sign a $700 million deal with a perennial postseason contender in the Los Angeles Dodgers.

However, there was one everlasting effect on him imparted by the late NBA great Kobe Bryant that Ohtani said was "one of the highlights" of his free agency meeting with the organization.

This is the second time Ohtani has been an MLB free agent — he was on the market back in 2017 after being posted by the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. Ohtani met with the Dodgers at that time, but ultimately decided to play for the crosstown rival Los Angeles Angels.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers showed Shohei Ohtani, left, a six-year-old video of Kobe Bryant recruiting him to the team in order to get him to sign this year.

During that first pitch, according to ESPN, the Los Angeles Lakers legend had recorded a video as a favor to the Dodgers in an effort to get him in Dodger blue.

Bryant, his daughter, and seven others died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020 — but the Dodgers apparently saved the video.

So, when Ohtani visited the team earlier this month, they played it for him.

Although the two never met in person, it seems that the gesture definitely stuck with the two-way superstar.

"That was one of the highlights of the whole meeting," Ohtani said. "I was really surprised to see it. It was a strong and touching message."

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers gestures during the game against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center in Phoenix on Feb. 19, 2012. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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