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

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Monday, June 24, 2019

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.

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