LeBron James is not spending any air on the helicopter story.
Asked after Friday’s preseason finale in Philadelphia whether he had traveled to work by chopper before, the 41-year-old told reporters he had done it before and described the arrangement as “just another way of transportation.”
That was the whole exchange. One short confirmation, one shrug. The remarks followed a 125-120 overtime loss to the Boston Celtics.
The commute itself is in the flight records: the Fanatics helicopter James has been using made about a dozen round trips between the two cities in the week leading up to opening night, with a one-way flight running about 30 minutes against a 90-minute to two-hour drive. A one-way lift between New York and Philadelphia typically costs between $4,000 and $10,000.
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Torre takes up a Fanatics inquiry
James is not paying for the rides. The aviation access is folded into his multi-year trading card partnership with Fanatics, signed in January 2024, and the company has told Front Office Sports that corporate aircraft is part of its athlete deals. He signed with the 76ers in July on a reported two-year, $8 million contract after leaving the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency.
Investigative journalist Pablo Torre has said several NBA owners contacted him and asked him to examine the setup. Torre has stopped short of alleging a salary-cap breach, telling listeners “this is not me alleging this is cap circumvention” while calling the overall picture “pretty funny”, a nod to the fact that Fanatics chief Michael Rubin held a minority stake in the 76ers until 2022.
Ring night at Madison Square Garden
The scrutiny lands at an awkward moment. The 76ers open the regular season on Tuesday against the New York Knicks, who will receive their championship rings and raise their title banner before tip-off at Madison Square Garden. It is James’ first competitive game as a 76er and his first regular-season outing since leaving the Lakers.
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