On Thursday night, as the Dodgers’ $700 million man continued to enjoy the offseason by watching a Rams game, Shohei Ohtani received the VIP treatment at SoFi Stadium.
Before kickoff, the Japanese sensation, who inked a 10-year contract earlier this month, was beaming as he posed with a Rams jersey that had the number 17 on the back.
After watching the Rams defeat the Saints 30-22 from a suite, Ohtani met quarterback Matthew Stafford and head coach Sean McVay in the locker room.
According to initial reports on Thursday, Ohtani was expected to attend the game with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, another new Dodgers player.
However, it appears that the pitcher was signing a $325 million, ten-year contract to play with Ohtani with the Dodgers across town.
Shohei Ohtani was in attendance for the Rams vs Saints game in Los Angeles on Thursday
Ohtani usually throws a slightly smaller ball but was seen holding a pigskin on the sideline
He then made his way upstairs into a suite to watch the Rams strengthen their playoff chances
Ohtani had a successful day on Thursday as he was also awarded the AP Male Athlete of the Year, winning the title for the second time in three years after defeating Novak Djokovic and Lionel Messi.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic and Inter Miami’s Messi shared 16 of the 87 votes, while the baseball player garnered 20 of them.
The NBA Finals MVP, Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets, garnered twelve votes.
Ohtani produced yet another season of unmatched excellence for the Los Angeles Angels and Japan’s World Baseball Classic team prior to inking his enormous contract.
Ohtani has now become a member of an elite group of past recipients of the prize, which was originally given out in 1931. Among them are four-time champion Tiger Woods, Carl Lewis, Joe Montana, Michael Jordan, Michael Phelps, and Michael Jordan.
Ohtani trailed Yankees batter Aaron Judge in the 2022 voting.
Ohtani posed with a Rams jersey with No 17 on the back as he drew attention before kickoff
As the newest sports celebrity in Los Angeles to have an art mural created in his honor, Ohtani is a beloved figure among the city’s supporters.
Graffiti street artist Jonas Never purchased a few cans of spray paint to complete the piece that is painted on the side of his downtown Los Angeles store, Prociety, near Main Street and West 15th.
He has already painted murals of Anthony Bourdain and LeBron James.
‘Had to welcome @shoheiohtani to LA the only way we know how,’ he said on Instagram on Saturday, accompanying a picture of his most recent artwork.
It took Never roughly a day and a half to finish the chef d’oeuvre, according to TMZ Sports.