The trading card company Topps announced LeBron James' decision to join the Philadelphia 76ers, surprising the NBA and overshadowing reports from league insiders. The announcement came via a collaborative post on social media with James himself, featuring what appeared to be an autographed one-of-one trading card.
Topps released the information at 11:30 a.m. ET, nearly a minute before ESPN's Shams Charania reported James' move to Philadelphia. The NBA was reportedly blindsided by this announcement method, according to league sources. While the card shown in the announcement exists, the autograph was digitally added to the image and will be physically signed in the coming days.
NBA social media channels and the 76ers' accounts remained silent following the news. James had recently hinted at a potential move to the 76ers during a live recording of his podcast, "Mind the Game," with Tyrese Haliburton at Fanatics Fest. He told fans he wanted a team that would "trust the process," a slogan famously associated with the 76ers.
Fanatics, a company owned by Michael Rubin, purchased Topps trading cards in 2022 for $500 million. James and Rubin have recently been seen together, including at a private luncheon in New York City, suggesting a potential collaboration for the announcement.