3 billboards outside Cleveland urge James to sign with 76ers

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James warms up for an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018, in San Antonio. James is 7 points away from hitting the 30,000 mark for his career. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — The courtship of LeBron James has taken an Oscar-worthy turn — toward Philadelphia.

Three billboards urging James to leave the Cavaliers and sign with the Philadelphia 76ers this summer as a free agent have been installed along Interstate-480 south of Cleveland. The signs are inspired by the movie “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” an Academy Award nominee for best picture.

The sequence of signs includes one with the slogan “Complete The Process,” a play on the Sixers’ “Trust The Process” mantra with their young team and a billboard that reads: “#PhillyWantsLeBron.”

ESPN.com reported the billboards were leased by Power Home Remodeling, a company based in Chester, Pennsylvania. The company’s CEO says the goal is to bring James, a three-time NBA champion, to Philadelphia because “we think the best athletes should want to play here.”

The 33-year-old James can opt out of his contract this summer with the Cavaliers.