Rui Hachimura has been with the Los Angeles Lakers since 2023, but we haven’t heard much about his personal life in all this time. Hachimura has managed to keep things private, but an Instagram account named Durant shared a rumor on Wednesday that he might be dating rapper Doja Cat.
The post unsurprisingly went viral and soon came to Hachimura’s attention. The 27-year-old wasted little time in making it crystal clear that he isn’t dating Doja.
“Mann f*k no.”
rui had to clear the air QUICK pic.twitter.com/KIRqStqW99
— ۟ (@ruireaves) January 28, 2026
That was somewhat hilarious. Doja’s controversial past may have played a role in Hachimura strongly denying this rumor. Back in 2015, she had released a song titled “Dindu Nuffin,” which is a racist slur used to mock victims of police brutality. It had also been claimed that she participated in racist conversations online.
Doja denied being involved in any racist conversations and stated that the song title was written in response to that term being used to hurt her. She was looking to flip the meaning, but acknowledged she made a mistake.
As for Doja’s dating life, she has been linked to British actor Joseph Quinn, who starred in Stranger Things, since 2024. It is unclear whether they are together today, and it’s a similar story with the Lakers forward.
Hachimura has been linked to Los Angeles-based fitness influencer Briana Delgado since 2021. He has never addressed the rumors, though, and there is no word on whether they are still together.
All we know about Hachimura is that he is having a lot more fun on the court nowadays than he did at points earlier in the season. He revealed that the Lakers’ coaches had told LeBron James and Luka Doncic to pass the ball more after Monday’s 129-118 win over the Chicago Bulls. Hachimura stated that the two superstars took it the right way, and their doing so has led to everyone having fun on the court.
Hachimura put up 23 points in that win over the Bulls, and it was the first time since November 2025 that he had recorded a 20-point game. He had seemingly found his rhythm, but then laid an egg against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.
Hachimura went scoreless as the Cavaliers blew out the Lakers 129-99. It was the third time this season that the Japanese forward had failed to even score a single point in a game. He will look to bounce back when the Lakers take on the Washington Wizards, his former team, at Capital One Arena on Friday at 7 PM ET.
The Wizards had selected Hachimura with the ninth pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. He spent three and a half seasons with them, after which he was traded to the Lakers in January 2023 for Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks. It has proven to be a very good trade, but these might be Hachimura’s final months as a Laker, as he is set to hit free agency this summer. It will be interesting to see if the Lakers hold on to him.
