LeBron James plays for the 76ers on a veteran minimum contract, lives in New York, and commutes by helicopter for free. Rival NBA owners have noticed, and they are sending the story to Pablo Torre.
Torre is the investigative reporter whose podcast “Pablo Torre Finds Out” broke the Kawhi Leonard salary cap scandal. Speaking at a Front Office Sports event on Tuesday, he said the LeBron helicopter story is one he has been watching, that his team is “very interested” and looking into it, and that owners keep forwarding it to him.
“We’re also getting tips from NBA owners, who are sending me your story, being like, ‘What is this?'”
Pablo Torre, at the Front Office Sports Tuned In summit
The deal itself is not new. LeBron’s access to Fanatics corporate flights was written into his 2024 endorsement deal with the company, years before he signed with the 76ers, and his camp has said exactly that since the commute first made news last month. Comparable charter flights run about $6,000 to $9,000 each way, and LeBron makes about $3.9 million this season on the minimum.
Two things make owners twitchy anyway. Fanatics founder Michael Rubin used to own a piece of the 76ers before selling in 2022, and Torre is the last reporter any team wants asking questions after the Clippers took a $30 million fine and lost five first round picks in the Kawhi case. Torre himself pumped the brakes, saying this looks like a business story and may never become a league issue. There is no league investigation, and no evidence the 76ers pay for a single flight.
For now it is owners snitching to a reporter, and a reporter saying he is looking. With Torre, that is usually how the big ones start.
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