Pablo Torre said league sources have wondered whether Michael Rubin helped convince LeBron James to join the 76ers at Fanatics Fest, and pointed to Topps breaking the signing news and James' Fanatics-linked helicopter perks as unusual coincidences worth examining.
NBA investigative reporter Pablo Torre has raised fresh questions surrounding LeBron James' move to the Philadelphia 76ers, pointing to the unusual way the signing was first revealed and the superstar's reported Fanatics-linked helicopter privileges.
Torre noted that the news was not broken by ESPN's Shams Charania or another major NBA insider, but rather by Topps, the trading card company owned by Fanatics.
"I have never seen a big announcement like this broken by a trading card company, but here it was," Torre said on the latest Pablo Torre Finds Out episode. "A trading card platform owned by Fanatics breaks the news of LeBron signing."
"And I've got to point out that league sources have been wondering, I'm told, if former Sixers minority owner Michael Rubin flipped LeBron – convinced him to sign with the Sixers at Fanatics Fest," Torre added.
"When we asked Sixers PR for comment, they didn't reply."
Torre was careful not to accuse Philadelphia or Fanatics of any salary-cap violation.
"So this is not me alleging this is cap circumvention," he stressed. "It is, though, me pointing out this is pretty funny.
"It is a pretty funny series of apparent coincidences for a helicopter that lots of people have been asking questions about."
Credit IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect - Scanpix
Torre looking into LeBron's Fanatics helicopter privileges
Torre previously revealed that NBA owners had contacted him about James' use of a Fanatics-branded helicopter while playing for Philadelphia, adding that he and his team were actively looking into the arrangement.
"It's something that I also have been watching, of course," Torre said at the Front Office Sports Tuned In summit. "I know that Fanatics logo, I saw that. I was also a little mad that I didn't get to get that one first.
"On that story specifically, I will say that we're very interested. And we are, of course, looking into all the ways that it is both a good story, as well as something of interest to the league."
LeBron, 41, signed a two-year, $8 million veteran-minimum contract with Philadelphia during the offseason, but reportedly continues to live in New York.
He has been using a Fanatics-branded Leonardo AW139 helicopter to travel between New York and the Philadelphia area following Sixers practices in Camden, New Jersey, and home games.
The flight reportedly takes 30 to 45 minutes, compared to roughly two hours by car, with James sometimes making up to 12 round trips a week.
Comparable private helicopter flights can reportedly cost between $6,000 and $9,000 each way, while LeBron is said to have unlimited use of the aircraft as part of his broader partnership with Fanatics and does not personally pay for the travel.
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