Kawhi Leonard Billboards Pop Up In L.A.: "King Of SoCal"

BYKyle Rooney1376 Views
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Kawhi
Clippers fans trying to lure Kawhi back home.

Kawhi Leonard is officially set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of June and he is reportedly torn between re-signing with the NBA champion Toronto Raptors or heading back to Cali to play for the Los Angeles Clippers.

A recent report suggests that the two-time NBA Finals MVP is "seriously considering" returning to Toronto, but that won't stop the recruiting efforts from title-starved Clips fans. For example, a pair billboards have gone up over Interstate 5 in Downey, about 10 miles southeast of Staples Center, encouraging the Southern California native to leave the North.

One of the billboards features an image of a California license plate personalized to read "KAWHI," with the hashtag #ClipperNation, while the other bears an image of Kawhi from his New Balance ad along with the text, "King of SoCal," and the hashtag #KAWHI2LAC. According to ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk, a source says "the Clippers knew nothing" about the billboards.

Leonard, 27, is eligible to sign a five-year, $190 million "supermax" contract with the Raptors, while other teams, like the Clippers, can offer a max of four-years, $140.6 million. The three-time All Star averaged 26.6 points and 7.6 rebounds in the regular season while leading Toronto to its first NBA title.


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<b>Sports &amp; Sneakers Writer</b> <!--BR--> New York born and raised. Long-suffering Knicks, Mets &amp; Jets fan who fell in love with sneakers when Allen Iverson laced up the 11s at Georgetown. Commissioner of one of the premier fantasy football leagues in the USA.
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