Toronto Mayor John Tory held a news conference on Saturday to ask Raptors fans and media to give Kawhi Leonard space as he prepares to enter free agency.
Los Angeles has taken a different approach.
Two digital billboards emerged over Interstate 5 in Downey, California, about 10 miles away from the Staples Center, encouraging the NBA Finals MVP to sign with the Clippers.
One of the billboards reads “King of SoCal” with the hashtag “#KAWHI2LAC.” The billboard has “the north” crossed out, a Game of Thrones inspired nickname Leonard received while playing for America’s northern neighbors.
The other billboard depicts a California license plate customized with “Kawhi” on it, with “#ClipperNation” written on the bottom.
The Clippers knew nothing of the billboards, according to ESPN.
Leonard is a Southern California native and has been heavily linked with the Clippers since he requested to leave the Spurs. Teams can start negotiating with free agents on Sunday, but can’t officially sign them until July 6. Leonard is reportedly “seriously considering” re-signing with Toronto.