Professional sports in North America have had their fair share of anime collaborations, if you just are thinking of the players. Athletes from the NBA, NFL, UFC, MLB, and many other outlets have shared their love of all things anime more times than we can count. To capitalize on the growing popularity of the anime medium, not only are players getting in on the action but entire teams are officially jumping in on the action. The Los Angeles Lakers have announced that they will be partnering with the Straw Hat Pirates in 2025, creating a special event for both basketball and anime fans in North America.
This upcoming special collaboration isn’t the first time that the Straw Hats have teamed up with a major sports team. In 2024, One Piece collaborated with the MLB’s Boston Red Fox to create a night to drive anime fans to the outfields. The event saw unique merchandise created for the equally unique union in which the Straw Hat Pirates became a part of the team for one night. While the merchandise for the Grand Line coming to the National Basketball Association has yet to be fully revealed, a date has been set and new art has been created for the meeting of worlds.
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Monkey D. Luffy Joins The Lakers
Luffy playing basketball would be unfair to anyone that didn’t have Devil Fruit powers of their own. Thanks to his rubber body and his ability to stretch his limbs, taking the ball to the hole would be nigh impossible against the Straw Hat captain. On February 28th next year, a special One Piece Night will be created for the Los Angeles Lakers, once again proving how popular the Grand Line has become in North America and the world. You can check out more details, and the new art created for the event, below.
The Straw Hats And Basketball
While there has never been an episode of One Piece that saw the Straw Hats trying their hand at basketball, that doesn’t mean that Luffy and company haven’t tried their hand at sports. In the special anime episode, “Dream Soccer King”, the Straw Hats took to the field to play soccer against some of their biggest enemies. While only running for five minutes, the installment helped celebrate the 2002 World Cup and even featured a cameo from One Piece creator himself, Eiichiro Oda.
Of course, basketball is no stranger to the world of anime. Most recently, Slam Dunk made a comeback with what is considered one of the greatest anime films of all time, The First Slam Dunk. Other examples of basketball anime include Kuroko’s Basketball, Buzzer Beater, and Ahiru no Sora.
Want to see what other partnerships the Straw Hat Pirates are a part of in the future? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on the Grand Line and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
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