Exclusive | Clippers Rui Hachimura dishes about tough Lakers exit

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.

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