NBA commissioner Adam Silver responds to LeBron James' Fanatics helicopter deal

Adam Silver says LeBron James can keep taking a helicopter to work. The NBA commissioner addressed the Fanatics perk on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, shortly before opening night, and ruled out any rules problem.

James lives in New York and flies to the 76ers’ facility in Camden, New Jersey, a trip that has drawn questions since his signing. Silver also explained why a team could never offer the same perk. The answer comes down to who pays for it and who arranged it. The ruling arrives in the wake of the Clippers’ cap scandal.

Does LeBron James’ Fanatics helicopter deal break NBA rules?

LeBron James’ Fanatics helicopter deal does not break NBA rules and Silver was blunt about it. He called the arrangement appropriate as long as the helicopter comes from Fanatics and no team is involved.

The 76ers are not paying for it, which settles the question for the league. Silver added he is not crazy about stories built on off-court topics, though he understands why reporters chase them."I would just say. In the case of LeBron and that helicopter, he has a deal with Fanatics. It's perfectly appropriate if part of his deal is they're gonna supply a helicopter to him as long as it's just a deal between the Fanatics and LeBron and no team is involved, there's no rules issue there whatsoever," the NBA commissioner said.

The partnership itself is not new. LeBron James signed a multi-year trading card deal with Fanatics in January 2024, while still with the Lakers. A spokesperson says the agreement “includes access to their corporate aviation,” and similar travel perks appear in the company’s deals with its biggest athletes.The salary cap is where Silver drew the line. A team cannot play any role in a player’s sponsor deal, he said.

If it could, a club could pay a player up to the limit and then arrange outside deals on the side, which would be an easy way around the cap. Endorsements a player lands independently are different. Companies approach stars like James all the time, and Silver called those deals the player’s right.

Why did the helicopter perk raise questions in the first place?

The drive from New York City to the 76ers’ facility in Camden runs about two hours. By air, the trip takes 30 to 45 minutes. James chose to live in New York instead of near Philadelphia, and has called the helicopter “just another way of transportation.”Further, the two-year, $8 million star signed a team-friendly deal after announcing the move on July 24 and putting pen to paper two days later. Fanatics owner Michael Rubin was once a minority owner of the 76ers before selling his shares in 2022. Both facts fed the questions.Then came Pablo Torre. The journalist broke the Kawhi Leonard and Clippers cap circumvention story, which ended in one of the harshest team punishments the league has handed out. Torre recently said his team was looking into the helicopter as a good story and as something of interest to the league.