Toronto Raptors small forward Kawhi Leonard grew up in Los Angeles, but he rooted for a Philadelphia 76ers legend as a kid.

According to Raptors announcer Eric Smith, Leonard said that while members of his family were Los Angeles Lakers fans, he leaned in a different direction: "I liked Allen Iverson. I was an A.I. fan. I didn't like the Lakers."

The question regarding his fandom came on the eve of Leonard and the Raptors facing the Lakers at Staples Center in L.A. on Sunday.

Leonard can become a free agent during the offseason, and given his roots and the fact that the Lakers will have money to spend, Los Angeles has inevitably been viewed as a potential landing spot.

In L.A., Leonard could join forces with LeBron James to form one of the best one-two punches in the NBA.

The 27-year-old Leonard was dealt from the San Antonio Spurs to the Raptors during the offseason along with Danny Green in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a first-round pick.

Leonard, a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and one-time NBA Finals MVP, has thrived with the Raptors with averages of 26.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game.

Also, with an 8-1 record, Toronto is the top team in the Eastern Conference.

Fans at Staples Center are likely to try their hand at wooing Leonard on Sunday, but given his allegiance to Iverson over the Lakers, it may do little to sway him.

The 76ers were rumored to be in the mix to trade for Leonard in the offseason, and if they manage to land him as a free agent alongside Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, Philly could have its best chance to win an NBA championship since The Answer was in his prime.