LeBron James’ helicopter controversy grows as sponsor lends him unlimited free rides from Philadelphia to New York… but reporter begs him to drive in wild Kobe Bryant comparison
LeBron James might have chosen to play for the Philadelphia 76ers for his final NBA contract, but he is not choosing to live in the city.
Instead, James is basing himself nearly 100 miles away in New York, where his travel plans to practice before the new NBA season have caused a stir.
It emerged at media day last week as he was whisked away from the facility that James is commuting via helicopter.
And his sponsor, Fanatics, has now been revealed as the provider of the luxury mode of transport, giving him an open invite to use their Leonardo AW139 helicopter whenever he wants, per TMZ Sports.
The company says James is a ‘key partner’ and one of the ‘most important athletes in the world’, giving him special privileges as part of a ‘broad long-term deal’.
The flight from Philadelphia – where he is landing on top of the helipad on top of the 76ers business offices next to the practice facility – to the VIP Heliport on West 30th Street in New York takes around 40-45 minutes.
LeBron James has been using the Fanatics helicopter to get from New York to Philadelphia
James was pictured at the VIP Heliport on West 30th Street on Saturday to make the journey
The car journey would take around two hours, while a similar charter flight costs around $6,000 to $9,000 each way, meaning James is getting a benefit worth plenty of time and money.
But it has generated some controversy, with images of James flying regularly in the helicopter evoking memories of NBA legend Kobe Bryant’s fatal helicopter crash in California six and a half years ago.
The Athletic reporter Jason Lloyd wrote a piece comparing the two situations and pleading with James to start driving to practice instead of commuting in the air.
‘Take the car. Please. Why risk it?’ he wrote.
The article continued: ‘That’s what people felt this week when they heard the rotors. Not logic. Memory.
‘We grieved Kobe the way you grieve family, and that grief didn’t go anywhere. It just went dormant. A helicopter over New Jersey roared loud enough to awaken it.
‘And it woke over LeBron, which is the hardest place it could land.’
It remains unclear exactly how regularly James will use the Fanatics helicopter to get to Philadelphia this year. The team plays 41 home games, not including practice, preseason and the playoffs.
James is preparing for his 24th season in the NBA after joining a new team over the offseason
The 76ers held a scrimmage at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon
Discussing his decision to join the 76ers at media day and outlining his postseason ambitions, James bluntly said: ‘I didn’t leave my family to lose in the second round.’
Now 41, he was asked at media day about retirement looming and continued: ‘I’m just looking at it every single day on how I can be the best version of myself for this franchise while I’m here.
‘I can’t speak into the future right now. I think that would be doing a disservice to myself. Just living in the moment, especially knowing that I am where I am in my career.
‘Me trying to focus on what the future looks like would be like, I wouldn’t be giving myself grace. I’m more in the present now, understanding that I’m in Year 24.
‘It won’t be another Year-plus 24, you know what I’m saying? It’s just like being in the moment and just seeing what happens.’
