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LeBron James isn’t paying a dime for his commute to and from Philadelphia to play for the Sixers.
A Fanatics source told Front Office Sports that James has been using the company’s aviation as part of his broader deal with the company. James signed a multiyear trading card partnership with Fanatics in January 2024, while he agreed to a deal with the Sixers in July and will reportedly live in New York City while playing for the team.
He has been seen taking a helicopter with multiple Fanatics logos to and from Philadelphia.
“The deal we signed with Fanatics almost three years ago includes access to their corporate aviation,” a spokesperson for James told FOS. “It’s a feature in many of their deals with their largest athletes and we appreciate their partnership as LeBron splits his time between New York and Philadelphia.”
A one-way chopper from New York City to Philadelphia is about $4,000 to $10,000. It’s not known how much Fanatics’s deal with James is worth.
Flight records show the Fanatics helicopter James has used made a dozen round-trips between Philadelphia and New York in the past week. A one-way trip normally takes about 30 minutes, cutting what is normally about a 90-minute to two-hour drive.
James, who has made nearly $600 million in his 24-year NBA career, signed a two-year, $8 million deal with the Sixers in July. He will earn a career-low $3.87 million this season.
But he’s making it back through several endorsement deals, including with Fanatics and a recent deal with Polymarket that FOS reported last month is worth about $15 million annually.
