Silver Says James’ Fanatics Helicopter Deal Is Permissible

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the Philadelphia 76ers are not violating league rules by allowing LeBron James to travel by helicopter between New York and Philadelphia, provided the team has no role in the arrangement. Silver said the helicopter may be supplied under James’s endorsement deal with Fanatics if the agreement was negotiated independently by the company and the player. Silver discussed the arrangement Tuesday, October 20, on The Pat McAfee Show, ahead of James’s regular-season debut with the 76ers. He said there would be no league-rules issue if the helicopter is part of a deal between Fanatics and James, with no team involvement. The condition matters because, Silver said, a team cannot arrange a separate sponsor deal for a player. In a salary-cap system, he said, allowing teams to direct companies to make additional deals with their players could provide a way around the cap. Independently negotiated endorsements, he said, are players’ right. A spokesperson for James told a sports business publication that the Fanatics agreement includes access to the company’s corporate aviation, describing it as a feature in some deals with its largest athletes. The...