Contrary To Popular Belief, It Is Not Illegal To Let Your Buddies Take A Ride On Your Private Helicopter
Over the last few months, Pablo Torre has cornered the market on being the biggest rat in the media. He's a little weasel who is constantly on the prowl for any wrongdoing, and won't stop digging until he finds anything to loosely connect a conspiracy to reality. He's basically the sports media version of Randall from Recess.
He's a little preoccupied investigating the Kelly Clarkson vs weird little knick knack shop in Brooklyn dilemma which has brought the news cycle to its knees. But he also has his sights on investigating LeBron James and his usage of the Fanatics helicopter in his travels between NYC and Philly.
Here's the thing, PT. I know you're still running off the high of taking down the Clippers and Kawhi cap circumvention scheme. But here's a little fun fact about Michael Rubin--he's not an owner of the Sixers. He was forced to sell his 10% stake in Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment in 2022. So ever since 2022, Michael Rubin has strictly been a fan of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Is it against NBA rules for fans to "flip" a player on a decision to sign with their favorite team as a free agent? Or is that literally just what recruiting means.
LeBron signed a multiyear deal with Fanatics in 2024, and he received corporate aviation access when he first signed that deal. Someone might want to tell Pablo Torre that LeBron was playing for Los Angeles in 2024. So he's been able to use that helicopter since January 2024, but now all of a sudden it's an issue? Do people seriously think that LeBron James signed with the Philadelphia 76ers just because Michael Rubin was going to let him use his helicopter to get back and forth from New York? If that's all it took, then there are 29 other teams around the league that are beyond incompetent.
And sure, maybe LeBron taking the veteran minimum to sign with Philly is a little suspect. But once again, Michael Rubin is simply a Sixers fan at this point. So even if there was some sort of extra compensation being thrown Lebron's way to sign with Philly, it has nothing to do with the owners. It's basically just NIL at that point. It's not the same thing as the Clippers actually facilitating a bunch of no-show endorsements for Kawhi.
Michael Rubin is a fan of the Philadelphia 76ers. He wants to see the Philadelphia 76ers win a championship. He is friends with LeBron. He's letting his buddy and his business partner use his corporate helicopter while also helping them achieve that goal of winning a championship. Pablo Torre can speak in that douchey little conspiracy voice all he wants, but none of that is illegal.