Voice from beyond: Dodgers had shocking ace in the hole to win over Shohei Ohtani

In Los Angeles sports lore, it doesn't get much bigger than Kobe Bryant. So when Bryant spoke from beyond the grave, Shohei Ohtani listened.

The Lakers legend is undoubtedly the most surprising person to play a role in recruiting Ohtani to the Los Angeles Dodgers. But it seems his influence did in fact help to sway Ohtani to put on Dodger Blue.

During their presentation to Ohtani, the Dodgers played a video recorded by Bryant back in 2017 when the two-way star was first considering which MLB team he would select to begin his career. According to Jeff Passan, the video featured Bryant making a pitch for why Ohtani should choose the Dodgers. Six years after it was recorded, the pitch worked.

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

Kobe Bryant helped recruit Shohei Ohtani to the Dodgers

Bryant tragically passed away in a helicopter accident in Jan. 2020. He's been gone for years but his influence in Los Angeles is still undeniable. His voice carries weight, even if it's only available in the form of an old video recording.

It's a bittersweet tale in the end. Bryant is still helping to keep Los Angeles a sports juggernaut. It's just sad that he wasn't around to make his pitch for the Dodgers in person.

Ohtani was officially introduced as a member of the Dodgers on Thursday with a press conference that featured questions about the mysterious surgery to repair his injured UCL and the previously-concealed name of his dog.