Who is Shohei Ohtani? Los Angeles Dodgers star mired in sports gambling scandal

MLB is facing its biggest scandal since the Houston Astros' sign-stealing incident exposed in 2019. This time, its face is baseball's biggest star.

Shohei Ohtani, the Japanese-born, Los Angeles Dodgers superstar, is embroiled in a massive gambling scandal after his (former) interpreter Ippei Mizuhara allegedly stole millions of dollars from Ohtani to pay off sports betting debts.

The details, for now, are still hazy. There are differing stories on what exactly happened, how much Ohtani knew and what the path forward is for him, the Dodgers and MLB. There are a few things we do know, but more information will come eventually. Ohtani plans to read a statement to members of the media on Monday afternoon.

Here's everything to know about Ohtani and the latest news surrounding MLB's latest sports gambling scandal.

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Shohei Ohtani translator: Who is Ippei Mizuhara?

One week ago, the answer to this question was more straightforward. Mizuhara was the Dodgers' Japanese interpreter for Ohtani, one of the star's closest friends and a former employee of the Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.

The Dodgers fired Mizuhara Wednesday after representatives for Ohtani accused the translator of stealing at least $4 million from the star player to cover gambling debts. Since then, several news outlets – including NBC Los Angeles and The Athletic – have reported that multiple parts of Mizuhara's public biography are untrue.

The Angels' media guide said that the former interpreter graduated from University of California, Riverside in 2007. Multiple reports say that the university refutes this claim, saying no records exist of anyone with Mizuhara's name even attending the school.

The guide also says Mizuhara previously worked as a translator for Japanese pitcher Hideki Okajima during spring training in 2012. Other reports also stated he began his MLB career working for the Red Sox as Okajima's interpreter in 2010. Okajima was not on the Yankees' spring training roster in 2012, and the Red Sox released a statement saying Mizuhara never worked for the team "in any capacity."

Shohei Ohtani gambling: What did Shohei Ohtani do?

What Ohtani did or did not know is still unclear, largely because of the conflicting stories not just between Mizuhara and Ohtani's representatives, but conflicts within what Mizuhara alone has said.

Mizuhara initially told ESPN he used an illegal sportsbook run by Matthew Bowyer in southern California (sports gambling is not legalized in the state) and bet on sports other than baseball on credit starting in 2021. According to the interpreter in an initial interview with ESPN, his debt had amassed to millions of dollars by 2023, which is when he asked Ohtani for help.

Subsequent stories have differed from this version. Ohtani's representatives say the player had no knowledge of the events nor the money missing from his account before last Wednesday. Later that day, his lawyers released a statement saying Ohtani had been "the victim of a massive theft."

After that, Mizuhara went back on what he'd initially said, claiming that Ohtani never had any knowledge of his gambling activities, let alone his debts.

Shohei Ohtani press conference

ESPN reporter Alden González reported Ohtani will deliver a statement during a press conference at 5:45 p.m. ET/2:45 p.m. PT on Monday. He will not take questions.

Shohei Ohtani stats

Shohei Ohtani salary: What is Dodgers star's contract?

In December 2023, Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. It is the most lucrative contract in North American sports history.

Of the $700 million total value, $680 million is deferred to the 10 years following the contract's expiration. Los Angeles will pay the superstar just $2 million per year in base salary over the next 10 seasons.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shohei Ohtani: What we know about Dodgers star, sports betting scandal