"I call him my Daniel-san & I’m Mr. Miyagi" - LeBron James hilariously describes his bond with Rui Hachimura

LeBron James seems pumped to lead the younger LA Lakers core to another deep playoff run. Last season, James seemed to trust guys like Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura in a big way. It seems he has a strong connection to Hachimura in particular. James had an interesting way to describe his bond with the young Japanese forward.

While speaking at media day on Monday, James revealed he has seen a lot of Hachimura this summer. He told ESPN Lakers reporter David McMenamin he is a bit of a mentor to the younger Hachimura.

“We’ve worked out together pretty much all summer. I see a lot in him,” James said. “I call him my Daniel-san and I’m Mr. Miyagi.”

James is, of course, referencing the movie "The Karate Kid." James seems to enjoy the teacher role in the latter stages of his career and also playing with Hachimura as the Lakers made it a priority to bring him back in free agency this summer.

Hachimura signed a 3-year, $51 million deal. He was a prized restricted free agent in the market, and the Lakers rewarded him for his solid playoff performances.

He averaged 12.2 ppg in 16 playoff games for LA last season. He was also a solid defender on opposing centers and played well alongside Anthony Davis.

LeBron James injury

During the playoffs, LeBron James played huge minutes. He shouldered a large load as he led the Lakers to the conference finals. He averaged 38.7 minutes per game in their 16 playoff games.

That is a lot of work for a 38-year-old. James revealed at media day on Monday that the feat was even more impressive.

James said he completely tore a tendon in his foot but played through the injury.

He said it has improved this summer, and he has been rehabbing to the fullest extent. He injured his foot in a regular season game against Dallas.

James seems confident that he will not miss any games this season due to the foot injury. He wants to load manage during games rather than miss a full game for rest.

LeBron James is exempt from the new star player resting rules due to his time in the league. He is one of seven players who are exempt.

Players who are more than 35 years old qualify. Veteran stars who have played more than 34,000 regular season minutes also qualify. They can also be exempt if they have played in more than 1,000 combined regular season and playoff games. The seven exempt players are LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, James Harden, DeMar DeRozan and Mike Conley.