Cleveland and Philadelphia Locking Horns on Who Gets LeBron James Next Season
Cleveland and Philadelphia are somehow in a showdown on who will get The King, LeBron James, next season. Philly said James going to the 76ers will "complete the process" but Cleveland retaliated by saying it is the land of the king.
Making news recently are three billboards in Ohio, Cleveland urging James to join the Philadelphia 76ers after his free agency this coming summer. All three billboards are next to each other and were put up by Philly-based Power Home Remodeling. The first billboard is a representation of the 76ers game plan in the floor if James allied with them. Next is the message "COMPLETE THE PROCESS," followed by "#PHILLYWANTSLEBRON."
During an interview with ESPN, Power Home Remodeling's Co-Chief Executive Asher Raphael said, "We're passionate about Philadelphia. We have an amazing city, it's the best sports town and it's an awesome place to live. We think the best athletes should want to play here."
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The company's vice president of public relations Michelle Bauer is also happy with what the billboards have managed to do. "This type of bold initiative, purchasing outdoors ads with an aim to go viral, to build camaraderie is not unusual for us. However, this campaign has gone further than we could have imagined," Bauer told CNBC.
Cleveland did not take the billboards sitting down. The company Marcus Thomas LLC posted a billboard of its own with the message, "Hey Philly, #THELANDOFTHEKING." The billboard's timing could not have gone any better because the 76ers were scheduled to face the Cavs the day it was put up on Thursday. The 76ers defeated the Cavs 108 to 97 with the help of Robert Covington putting up 41 points. James also managed to put on quite a show with 39 points, but the Cavs did not pull through.
James being a free agent this summer is currently being discussed by analysts, players, and fans. The King has not provided any information or hints regarding his preferences for the next season.
