Billboards Recruiting Kawhi Leonard Are Popping Up All Over Los Angeles

Toronto Raptors Victory Parade & Rally
Toronto Raptors Victory Parade & Rally / Vaughn Ridley/GettyImages

Just hours after Kawhi Leonard reportedly made this official decision to decline his player option and hit the open market, billboards have started going up throughout the Los Angeles area recruiting the Finals MVP in free agency. Leonard, was widely expected to sign to play in LA after this season before he took over the NBA as a Toronto Raptor as a member of the Raptors and made things a lot more interesting.

The King in the North certainly has a better ring to it than the "King of SoCal," but kudos to the fans of Clippers and Lakers basketball for trying. Leonard is seriously considering re-signing with the Raptors in free agency, but the Clippers are widely believed to be the co-finalists to land his services.

These billboards signify that it is time for the frenzy that is free agency to begin, but it also has fans of other teams wondering where their recruiting pitches for Kawhi really are. Get with the program, Brooklyn and Philly!

Leonard is definitely not paying much attention to these billboards. No player ever does, after all. He will make a basketball decision as to where to play next season, and nothing more. But as a Southern California native himself, he's surely keeping the region on his mind as free agency is set to begin in earnest.