{"id":2060387,"date":"2026-07-24T18:48:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T15:48:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2060387"},"modified":"2026-07-24T18:48:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T15:48:51","slug":"trading-card-company-topps-broke-news-of-lebron-james-free-agency-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2060387","title":{"rendered":"Trading card company Topps broke news of LeBron James\u2019 free agency decision"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Topps, the Fanatics-owned trading card company, hopped into the NBA newsbreaking business Friday morning. It announced that LeBron James<\/a> would be signing with the Philadelphia 76ers via a social media post displaying James\u2019 first autographed trading card<\/a> in a 76ers uniform.<\/p>\n

Timestamps on the posts from James, Topps\u2019 X account post and ESPN\u2019s Shams Charania all popped at 11:30 a.m. ET. But users received Topps\u2019 post notification first, indicating Topps sent its post seconds before the others. It\u2019s particularly of note because parts of the Sixers organization were apparently surprised by James\u2019 decision, with a team source close to the process telling The Athletic<\/em> that they did not learn of his choice to accept their offer until minutes before the social media alerts.<\/p>\n

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BREAKING: LeBron James is joining the Philadelphia 76ers for his historic 24th NBA season.<\/p>\n

LeBron makes it official by signing his first ever 76ers trading card.<\/p>\n

One collector who purchases the base edition will receive this 1-of-1 autograph. pic.twitter.com\/x9aBBFjVwX<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Topps (@Topps) July 24, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

According to the company, this marks the first time a player move has ever been announced via trading card.<\/p>\n

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The Topps Now card was available for purchase 90 minutes before James\u2019 No. 23 jerseys became available through the Fanatics website and the team\u2019s official online shop (which is operated by Fanatics). Topps Now cards are sold individually and only available for purchase from the company\u2019s website for three days before they are distributed. One randomly selected customer who purchases the base card will get a one-of-one version of the card autographed by James instead.<\/p>\n

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{“endpoint”:”https:\/\/api-prd-nyt.theathletic.com\/graphql”}<\/p>\n

The topic of James\u2019 decision came up multiple times during his panel discussions at Fanatics Fest in New York last week \u2014 once on July 16 in a podcast<\/a> with Tyrese Haliburton and on July 17 during James\u2019 live episode of \u201cThe Shop.\u201d In the latter, James used the phrase \u201ctrust the process\u201d<\/a> multiple times, a reference to a slogan tied to the 76ers\u2019 rebuild around Joel Embiid.<\/p>\n

Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin was previously a minority owner of the 76ers but sold his stake in 2022. In a comment on James\u2019 Instagram post about the news, Rubin said, \u201cYou should have told me before I sold my ownership!!!! But seriously LFG let\u2019s go get the chip.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Why LeBron James chose the Philadelphia 76ers<\/div>\n
Joe Vardon and Jeshua Kidd<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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