PITCHING PAUL
OKC artists showcase how they’d recruit Paul George to stay with Thunder
It started with LeBron James and a dream. The deeper James went into the playoffs, the louder the pitches became. James is expected to become a free agent July 1, the first day NBA teams can officially pitch to him. But long before then, people in cities across the nation were buying ad space, flying banners in prop planes and creating art to ask James to play in their cities. James isn’t the only one getting pitched to. Paul George is getting the hard push in Los Angeles, as wealthy power players have bought billboards across the city to convince him to come home and play for the Lakers.
From Philadelphia to L.A., fan bases are making their best case via billboard art to get free agents to their teams. The Oklahoman asked some Oklahoma City artists to do the same for George.
Desmond Mason, former NBA guard and founder of DMASON ART
These designs were originally created by myself and two other local artists. Our goal was to create something cool, edgy, artsy and to be as creative as possible throughout the journey.
I enjoyed the process of working with local artists Paul Snyder (hyper-realist artist and owner of Art By Paul) and Anthony Kimball (graphic design, apparel design artist and owner of Kimball Media).
Basketball was a part of my life since the age of five, and so was art, and it has taken me to places I would have never imagined. So, to be asked to combine the two and be creative for a city that has supported sports and art life, I didn’t hesitate.
I have no favorites when it comes to NBA basketball and I speak my mind 99.9 percent of the time, but if I can help OKC bring back one of the biggest free agents in the league this summer, then I’m down!
Follow Mason on Instagram or Twitter @dmasonart or visit his website at dmasonart.com.
Credits
Painting by Paul Snyder and Desmond Mason. Follow Snyder on Instagram (instagram.com/artbypaul). Follow Anthony Kimball on Instagram (instagram.com/kimball.media) or visit his website (www.kimballmedia.com). Contact Steve Hill on twitter (@sportstoons).