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Dave Portnoy claims that LeBron James's contract with the Philadelphia 76ers is illegal due to a side deal involving Michael Rubin's company, Fanatics. James signed for the league minimum salary, allowing him flexibility in his career choice, and reportedly has access to Fanatics' private aviation services and additional undisclosed compensation. This arrangement is likened by Portnoy to Kawhi Leonard’s controversial deal with the Clippers, which resulted in significant penalties. The article highlights concerns over potential salary cap circumvention through off-court partnerships and raises questions about the NBA's oversight of such arrangements.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Dave Portnoy, owner of Barstool Sports, claims that LeBron James' contract with the Philadelphia 76ers is "illegal" due to a side deal orchestrated by Michael Rubin, the billionaire owner of Fanatics and former part-owner of the 76ers. Portnoy asserts that James signed for the league minimum salary to facilitate this arrangement, enabling him to sign wherever he wanted. Reports suggest Rubin may have influenced James' decision more than initially disclosed. The NBA fined the Los Angeles Clippers heavily for funneling money to Kawhi Leonard through illegal means, raising concerns about similar practices in the league. James was recently seen using Fanatics’ private helicopter for travel and choosing to live in New York City instead of Philadelphia.
Written for “LeBron James Contract” on 2026-10-07,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but all 2 of its quote(s) are attributed speech - words the article quotes from someone, not the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 62891: attributed speech only · logged 2026-10-07
Dave Portnoy thinks LeBron James is going to be the next Kawhi Leonard.
asserted
James → think → ?
After shocking the world and joining the Philadelphia 76ers this past offseason, seemingly every basketball mind began double-taking at how James landed in the City of Brotherly Love for what many expect to be his final seasons.
asserted
many → shock → Love
James signed for the league minimum to facilitate the deal and be able to sign wherever he wanted, and reports have trickled out that Michael Rubin, the billionaire owner of Fanatics who used to be a part owner of the 76ers, might have a bit more to do with James’ decision than was previously known.
uncertain
than → sign → decision
“He basically took that contract (league minimum deal with the 76ers) because Rubin is doing a side deal with him,” Portnoy said in a post on social media.
asserted
Portnoy → take → media
“He flies in and out.
asserted
He → fly → ?
It’s illegal.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
It’s basically what Kawhi did.
asserted
Kawhi → ’ → what
But the NBA won’t look into LeBron.”
asserted
NBA → look → LeBron
James signing a league-minimum contract was surprising, as he had been on a max contract for nearly his entire career before that.
asserted
he → sign → that
James was recently spotted taking Fanatics’ private helicopter to and from practice, opting to live in New York City over Philadelphia.
asserted
James → spot → Philadelphia
Front Office Sports’ Eric Roberts reported that James is allowed access to Fanatics Aviation as part of his contract with Rubin’s company, and he revealed his free-agent destination in a collaborative social media post across multiple websites.
asserted
he → report → websites
Portnoy is pointing to this “side deal” with Rubin’s company as a form of salary cap circumvention, since Fanatics is paying him an undisclosed amount of money that is clearly not a small number if he has unlimited access to private planes and is leaking his free-agent destination to him.
asserted
he → point → him
Rubin, who used to be a part owner of the 76ers, sold his stake in 2022, adding that it is having an effect on the rest of his businesses.
“As our Fanatics business has grown, so too have the obstacles I have to navigate to ensure our new businesses don’t conflict with my responsibilities as part-owner of the Sixers,” Rubin said in 2022.
asserted
Rubin → use → 2022
“Given these realities, I will sadly be selling my stake in the Sixers and shifting from part-owner back to life-long fan.”
Salary cap circumvention is a hot topic in the sports world right now, as the Clippers were given a massive penalty of five first round picks – which they have since accepted – for funneling money to Leonard through illegal means in the eyes of the NBA.
The scheme, first pointed out by investigative journalist Pablo Torre, resulted in Leonard getting $7 million in cash and $5 million in stock per year in the company Aspiration.
asserted
Leonard → give → Aspiration
James is making just $3.87 million for his season in Philadelphia, but he’s made up for it in off-the-court partnerships with Fanatics (undisclosed amount) and Polymarket ($15 million per year).
asserted
he → make → year
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