LOS ANGELES – Basketball has always been important to 18-year-old Aidan Kosaka.
More than just a passion, basketball has also given him a platform. Along with his father, Kosaka has spent the majority of his life on a mission to connect his generation of Japanese Americans to their heritage.
“My generation called Yonsei — the fourth generation — is slowly fading away from our roots," he said. "We thought Budokan could bring my generation and the ones to follow back to Little Tokyo to experience where my grandparents used to hang out.”
He said he believed basketball and sports could serve as the perfect stage — helping fundraise to make the Teresaki Budokan Center in Little Tokyo a reality.
It's a mission that's made him a well-known local community leader and one that also has led him down somewhat of an Olympics pathway.
“I’ve just been a community supporter of Budokan for all my life," he said. "And part of that was using sports to bring people together, similar to how the Olympics brings people from all over the world together.”
And although his dream has never been to play in the Olympics, which will return to Los Angeles in 2028, the reality is that he played a role in an important milestone for the games — the release of the official emblem.
On Tuesday, LA 28 unveiled an animated emblem for the games, an ever-changing logo intended to represent the city's diversity.
In all, there are 26 iterations of one symbol.
“To be static in a time when the world is moving so quickly seemed like a miss," Casey Wasserman, the chairman of LA 28, said. "The beauty of L.A. is that there is no one way to represent Los Angeles, it’s anything you want it to be from any corner of the city.”
The list of creators includes Allyson Felix, Reese Witherspoon, Gabby Douglas, Billie Eilish, and not to mention Kosaka, who was admittedly a little shocked to be selected.
“I saw that list and I was like what am I doing here?" he said. "I’m surrounded by people with so much influence.”
His emblem was designed to be a symbol of his heritage — a Japanese character dribbling a basketball, he said.
It also represents the ability to bring people together during uncertain times, Kosaka said, adding it is a sign of what has made sports so special in his life and the lives of others.
“Seeing my 'A' come out, it is my bright spot," Kosaka said. "It’s keeping me going.”