<
        >

          'King of SoCal': Two Kawhi billboards go up in L.A.

          play
          Stephen A. pitches Kawhi on joining Clippers (1:54)

          Stephen A. Smith breaks down why Kawhi Leonard should go to the Clippers in free agency. (1:54)

          • ESPN
          Jun 24, 2019, 08:49 AM

          Los Angeles is wasting little time pitching Kawhi Leonard on a potential move to the Clippers.

          Two digital billboards went up over Interstate 5 in Downey, about 10 miles southeast of Staples Center, encouraging the Southern California native to come home.

          One bears an image of a California license plate personalized to read "KAWHI," with the hashtag #ClipperNation; the other reads "King of SoCal," with the hashtag #KAWHI2LAC.

          A team source told ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk that "the Clippers knew nothing" about the billboards.

          Leonard, 27, is expected to be a prime commodity on the free-agent market this summer after leading Toronto to its first NBA title.

          Teams can start negotiating with free agents next Sunday, though no deals can be signed until July 6.