The Toronto Raptors鈥� biggest superfan and the city鈥檚 mayor have a message for the team鈥檚 supporters: leave Kawhi Leonard alone.
In the aftermath of the team鈥檚 historic NBA championship win, the superstar player has been touring the city with his family and social media users appear to be documenting nearly every moment of it. Leonard was spotted at several trendy restaurants, Niagara Falls, a local Home Depot, and taking in a Toronto Blue Jays game in the past week.
The public鈥檚 intense fascination with the basketball star鈥檚 every move is partly because he will become a free agent on June 30 giving him free reign to choose what team he will join next season.
Torontonians have made it abundantly clear they want him to stay in the city, so much so that Toronto Mayor John Tory and Raptors鈥� superfan Nav Bhatia felt compelled to hold a press conference on Saturday in order to ask the public to dial it back.
鈥淲e are just trying to say to the fans 鈥榊es we know you are very excited, you have reason to be excited but give him the space to eat where he wants to eat and shop where he wants to shop,鈥欌�� Bhatia said. 鈥淚f you see him say 鈥楾hank you鈥� and move on and let him enjoy himself.鈥�
Bhatia, a longtime Raptors鈥� fan who has famously never missed a game in 24 years, said Leonard is being 鈥渉arassed鈥� every time he goes out in public in the city.
鈥淲e are not giving him the space, which he deserves,鈥� he said. 鈥淟et him enjoy the city right now. Let him enjoy his privacy right now with his family. Just leave him alone.鈥�
Tory asked that fans show their support for Leonard in a 鈥淭oronto way鈥� by signing calling for the athlete to stay in the city.
鈥淚f the voice of the fans should be heard, which it should, then the best way to do that, the Toronto way to do that, is to sign this petition,鈥� he said.
The petition, launched by Tory, Bhatia, and Paramount Fine Foods CEO Mohamad Fakih, has a goal of one million signatures and can be found at .
鈥淧lease go and sign that petition and tell Kawhi he should stay,鈥� Tory said. 鈥淲e want thousands of people.鈥�
鈥淢illions and millions and millions,鈥� Bhatia interjected.
The superfan said they would ensure Leonard sees the petition and reads the comments on it at his own 鈥渓eisure.鈥�
鈥淚 know we all of us, we want him to stay. All of us, all over Canada, we want him to stay. I believe he understands that,鈥� Bhatia said.
