Carmelo Anthony makes demand of Pablo Torre amid LeBron James helicopter probe
Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony has turned Pablo Torre’s interest in LeBron James’ Fanatics helicopter into a fight over sourcing, demanding the Pulitzer Prize-winning podcaster name the NBA owners who’ve been feeding him tips about the Philadelphia 76ers star.
On the Season 4 premiere of 7PM in Brooklyn, released Oct. 15, Anthony accused the owners of “snitching” and said Torre should have to identify them: “You’re subpoenaed to tell us which owners.”
MORE: LeBron James, Fanatics helicopter details emerge from Pablo Torre’s investigation
What Carmelo Anthony said about NBA owners
Former New York Knicks guard Carmelo Anthony waves to the crowd during the New York Knicks Championship Parade | Brenden Willsch-Imagn Images
Anthony started from James’ side of the commute. “I’m taking the chopper and getting from New York to Philly at 6, 6:30 in the morning,” he said.
The retired NBA star argued that players never get the coverage Torre is giving his sources. “If we, as players, were saying something about the owners, that owner would find out who the f— was saying that s—,” Anthony said. “And we would be in a situation where we could be f—ed up.”
He cited the Hornets and Knicks owners as examples of how Torre should attribute tips, not as confirmed sources.
Co-host Monica McNutt pushed back. “It’s not snitching, it’s journalism,” she said. Still, Anthony praised Torre’s work: “I don’t want you to stop being a journalist, because you do great journalism, and I respect you as a journalist.”
Pablo Torre’s LeBron James helicopter questions
Philadelphia 76ers forward LeBron James (23) during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets | John Jones-Imagn Images
Torre raised the topic Oct. 13 at Front Office Sports’ Tuned In summit. “We’re also getting tips from NBA owners, who are sending me your story being like, ‘What is this?’” he said.
Front Office Sports reported Oct. 5 that James’ January 2024 trading card deal with Fanatics includes access to the company’s corporate aviation. Flight records showed the helicopter making a dozen round trips between Philadelphia and New York in one week. James signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Sixers in July.
Torre dug further on an Oct. 15 episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out. He noted the helicopter’s tail number changed to N6FN on July 17. That day, James spoke at Fanatics Fest about joining a team that “trusts the process,” a phrase tied to the Sixers.
“This is not me alleging there is cap circumvention,” Torre said.
How does Michael Rubin fit in?
Michael Rubin talks with Carmelo Anthony during the bronze medal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games. Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Anthony pointed the owners’ frustration at Fanatics founder and CEO Michael Rubin. “These owners out here are very … I want to make sure I use the right terminology. They are very perturbed with Michael Rubin,” he said.
Rubin sold his minority stake in the Sixers in 2022. At the 2024 MIT Sloan Conference, he said he’d been “violating every rule the NBA had” as a minority owner, including having NBA players as Fanatics investors.
Anthony called the helicopter a standard sponsorship perk. He said James’ “partner can use the company plane to get back and forth to work.”
James’ spokesperson told Front Office Sports that aviation access is “a feature in many of their deals with their largest athletes.”
The NBA hasn’t announced an investigation. No report has shown that James or Fanatics violated league rules.
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Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.