LeBron James’ 76ers merch was selling out almost as soon as the 22-time NBA All-Star decided to sign a two-year, $8 million contract with the team.
After James shocked the sports world, choosing the Sixers over Cleveland and Miami, the future Hall of Famer’s jersey has been the highest-selling of a player joining a new team across all sports — surpassing Shohei Ohtani’s move to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023, according to Fanatics.
The sports merchandise giant also said that within the first 24 hours after news broke, more James Sixers merchandise was sold than the first week after his announcement that he was joining the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018. This should come as no surprise, since roughly two hours after his decision, all first editions of the No. 23 jersey were sold out on the Fanatics website. The company also is selling a signed James trading card by Topps (which it acquired in 2022) and plans to release other items.
Mitchell & Ness, which is another part of Fanatics’ portfolio, declined to give hard sales numbers on James merch.
“However, outside of recent marquee events in our Philly market, the launch of the LeBron Witness T-shirt and all Sixers gear was one of our strongest single-day retail performances, exceeding internal expectations compared to event-driven activations like the 250th celebration, FIFA, and MLB All-Star,” said Dexter Childs, Mitchell & Ness’ manager for cultural marketing and partnerships.
Mitchell & Ness said Thursday that its black T-shirt featuring James and a Sixers logo was back in stock and that it would be dropping more merch next week.
Fanatics is owned by Michael Rubin, a Lafayette Hill native who previously was part-owner of the Sixers.
Since Friday, James merchandise has accounted for eight of the top 10 selling products across all sports throughout the Fanatics network of sites, which includes NBAStore.com, SixersShop.com, and Fanatics.com.
Inquirer staff writer Emily Bloch contributed to this article.
MIAMI — Less than an hour after the Phillies suffered their fourth consecutive series loss after the All-Star break, Bryce Harper threw down the proverbial gauntlet.
“I think we need some help,” Harper said. “I think we’ve proved pretty much all year, we’ve done a pretty good job, but anytime you can get some help in here and reinforcements, I think it helps.”
With the trade deadline approaching at 6 p.m. on Monday, Harper said he thinks the Phillies need upgrades in the pitching staff and the lineup. It was a clear message to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and the front office.
It’s a message that interim manager Don Mattingly doesn’t necessarily like. Mattingly, whose son Preston works under Dombrowski as the Phillies’ general manager, said he doesn’t think the rest of the team is focused on the upcoming deadline.
“I sense Bryce thinking about it, I don’t really sense anybody else thinking about it, honestly,” Mattingly said. “And you’ve been through this. Guys want to be GMs. What you need, without a real understanding of where the organization is, exactly where this thing goes, not only this year, but moving forward. So again, players like being GMs and making calls and spending other people’s money, so just let it go at that.
“I mean, they’ve been doing this a while. Never really backed away trying to get guys. We’re trying to get better. We’re going to try to get better at the deadline.”
Bryce Harper was batting .165 with 28 strikeouts in 79 at-bats in July going into Wednesday’s game.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
As manager, Mattingly’s focus is on getting improvements out of the players who are on the 26-man roster until the point that additions or subtractions are made.
And despite the Phillies’ recent struggles — they entered Wednesday’s series finale in Miami with a 3-8 record since the All-Star break — he believes those improvements will come.
“How do I feel right now about how we’re playing, that hasn’t been great,” Mattingly said. “I feel good about our team. I felt that way the whole time. … Obviously, we’re in a period of time that we haven’t played great since the break.”
He added that he wasn’t necessarily bothered by Harper’s comments, but he didn’t like that they could be construed as criticism of the players currently on the team.
“I think you’re always trying to get better. You should always incrementally try to get better, no matter who you are,” Mattingly said. “If you’re the Dodgers, who won two straight [World Series], they’re trying to get better in different ways. We’re in the same boat, right? You’re always trying to get better, but if you say something about our team, then you’re saying something about one of our players that you don’t like.”
Mattingly said he doesn’t feel the need to discuss this with Harper, though.
“I mean, Bryce is going to say what he wants, so I’m not really concerned about it,” he said. “I take it kind of with a grain of salt, and knowing how players are over the years. It’s not the first time I’ve heard this. … I always look at it internally. I got to get better. We got to get better, and it’s as simple as that.”
Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber was out of the lineup again on Wednesday due to an illness.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Schwarber out again
Kyle Schwarber was out of the Phillies lineup Wednesday for the second consecutive game with a gastrointestinal illness. Mattingly said he wasn’t sure if Schwarber would improve enough to be available off the bench in an emergency situation.
“[He’s] kind of the same. Yeah. He may be a little better, but obviously not in there,” Mattingly said.
Schwarber missed three games in May with a similar issue. In his absence on Wednesday, Trea Turner got the start at designated hitter. Edmundo Sosa took over at shortstop against Marlins right-handed starter Ryan Gusto.
Mattingly said giving Turner a day to reset from his defensive struggles this season — in the series opener, he committed his 19th error of the season and seventh since the All-Star break at shortstop — was not a factor in his decision. Instead, he wanted to get Turner a day off the turf at loanDepot Park, after previously giving Harper a day at designated hitter on Tuesday.
“More just getting him off his feet,” Mattingly said. “Kind of feel like we’re getting him back to the point where his legs are good and all that, so try to keep it there.”
Derek Hill, who has not appeared in a game since July 25 with “lower body stuff,” according to Mattingly, has improved, but the Phillies manager was unsure if he would be available off the bench Wednesday.
Extra bases
The Phillies announced that reliever Brad Keller underwent successful surgery on his right elbow in Texas on Wednesday. Keller is expected to return to pitch in 13-16 months. … Outfielder Bryan De La Cruz got another start against a right-hander on Wednesday after a two-hit night on Tuesday.. … The Phillies have not yet announced who is set to open Friday’s series opener against Baltimore, which is expected to be a bullpen game. Right-hander Brandon Young (8-2, 3.13 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Orioles.
A guard at a federal prison in Fort Dix, Burlington County, had a lengthy sexual relationship with a prisoner and sometimes paid other inmates to act as lookouts while the two had sex in an office, according to federal authorities.
Jordan Pensak of North Brunswick was charged this week with sexual abuse of a person in custody, court records show.
Pensak’s relationship with the prisoner — whom authorities did not identify — began after she started working on his unit in 2024, according to a criminal complaint. A witness reported the pair’s suspected encounters to law enforcement, the complaint said, saying Pensak and the man had sex “multiple times” in an office as the paid lookouts stood nearby and watched for other corrections officers.
Investigators found more than 100 sexually explicit photos and messages that Pensak and the prisoner shared on Instagram and on cell phones the man apparently possessed while behind bars, the complaint said.
At times, the document said, Pensak was overt in the messages about her relationship with the prisoner, writing in a January message to an unidentified recipient that she had been in the relationship “for the past year” and that she didn’t intend to end it.
A month later, the complaint said, when someone else asked Pensak if she knew she could be criminally charged and go to jail for her actions, she wrote back: “Yes I know.”
Pensak also sent messages to people earlier this year in which she detailed a pregnancy scare, the complaint said. At one point, she said that if she were pregnant, the baby would be a different race than her husband, and that it “ain’t good for this investigation.”
A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons declined to comment on the allegations against Pensak, but did say Pensak had been placed on administrative leave.
Attempts to reach Pensak’s lawyer for comment Wednesday were not immediately successful.
Maxey, who occasionally works out with James during the summer and is one of Klutch Sports’ key clients, played a big role in the decision. During an earlier podcast episode, in which Paul broke down potential destinations for James, he put a star next to Maxey’s name.
“Maxey led the charge on the Sixers,” Paul said. “He was starred on there because, number one, the Sixers went through a change. It became Tyrese Maxey’s team. It’s still Tyrese Maxey’s team.
“Additionally, there was a star beside Tyrese’s name because, the fact that I represent Tyrese, I’ve been around him for seven years now, we talk all the time. LeBron has spent time with him. I know that that’s a positive, based on the type of person.”
When assessing potential landing spots, James and Paul broke down numerous teams and tried to identify the potential issues with each spot. Maxey’s demeanor ultimately helped the Sixers earn much more consideration.
Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey (right) played a key role in luring James to Philly.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Paul said that Anthony Davis, who played with James on the Lakers, was an example of the type of personality that meshes well with James. Davis was unconcerned about taking the spotlight and stayed focused on his family and on basketball.
“Same thing with Tyrese, I know that it’s a positive because he’s been around; they work out together,” Paul said. “He’s embracing the fact that, ‘Hey, if we can land this guy, I understand what comes with it, and I’m comfortable in my own skin and by the way, I want to win. I want the best chance of winning.’”
James met with Cleveland brass in Akron, Ohio, over the summer before signing, ESPN insider Shams Charania said. While many perceived Cleveland to be the favorite going in — so much so that Sixers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey told ESPN that his neighbors got mad at him for “taking” James — Paul said far more teams were under consideration than he discussed publicly.
“We never really heard from the Sixers, because the Sixers never really thought there was even a chance,” Paul said. Once Jaylen Brown was traded to Philadelphia, his conversations with James about the Sixers took a total 180.
Strangers took photos of families in front of the Liberty Bell, as others took close-up photos of the iconic symbol of U.S. independence.
A little boy in blue shorts and curly hair ran up to the bell to point out the crack. A National Park Service staffer looked at his watch. It was almost closing time at the Liberty Bell Center and the crowd began to dwindle as 5 p.m. approached Tuesday.
The boy posed next to a little girl for the last photo of the day, and the room cleared.
The bell received a reprieve from visitors until 9 a.m. Wednesday, when it all started back up again.
These moments were captured by a new camera that transmits a 24-7 live stream of the Liberty Bell on EarthCam, a website that live streams various iconic sites around the world.
“At Independence National Historical Park, the livestream provides the public with a real-time virtual view of one of the nation’s most iconic historic sites, expanding public access and engagement,” said a spokesperson for Independence National Historical Park in a statement.
The Eagles Super Bowl parade down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway as captured by EarthCam from the Franklin Institute. February 14, 2025.EarthCam
The camera pointing at the Revolutionary-era relic was set up ahead of the United States’ 250th anniversary celebration earlier this month, and adds to the website’s collection of iconic travel destinations that includes Times Square in New York City, the Temple Bar in Dublin, and the crosswalk at Abbey Road, London. There is also a camera streaming Andy Warhol’s grave in Bethel Park, Pa., outside Pittsburgh.
The streams, while an effort to increase access to historic sites, also raise questions for surveillance experts and are part of a growing number of live streams in public places.
“The general trend of video surveillance [is] becoming pretty ubiquitous in common public spaces and across cities,” said Jake Laperruque, deputy director of the Security and Surveillance Project at the nonprofit Center for Democracy and Technology.
EarthCam, a New Jersey-based web-camera technology company, installed the Liberty Bell camera and live stream as part of a donation of 250 cameras for the United States’ 250th birthday.
“Taking people to that park and showing that view is amazing,” said Brian Cury, EarthCam’s founder and CEO.
The Liberty Bell camhasracked up more than a quarter million streams since it was installed about a month ago, Cury said, including 80,000 virtual visits on July Fourth.
Cury said EarthCam donated the camera to the National Park Service at no cost. The company streams from national parksthroughout the country, including the Flight 93 National Memorial in the Shanksville, Pa., area.
The streams are a way to bring iconic sites to people in a way that is more compelling than a photo, Cury said. And hopefully, he said, they can entice people to step outside.
“There are lots of kids that should get out of the house and go explore our amazing country,” the CEO said. “But they are online.”
Visitors to the EarthCam website can view the live stream, a video archive of the last 24 hours, and a collection of still images from previous days since the camera has been installed (a “hall of fame” of sorts, Cury says.)
Still images from recent days show the bell at night, families visiting, and groups gathering in front of the bell for photos.
Also on the “hall of fame”: a park ranger taking a photo of a law enforcement officer in a black uniform posing in front of the bell after hours.
A law enforcement officer poses in front of the Liberty Bell after hours.EarthCam
Some surveillance experts say the archive raises privacy concerns, especially because people are identifiable in the image.
“The longer those pictures are kept, the more it makes me uneasy,” said Rachel Levinson-Waldman, director of the Brennan Center for Justice’s Liberty and National Security Program.
“The more it’s susceptible to even a private company just collecting those pictures and using them for some other purpose,” she said. “Or just people scrolling through and seeing the pictures for who knows what purposes people might use them.”
There is no information posted at the site about the live stream, but a security sign at the center’s entrance advises: “video surveillance in effect.” Online, the live stream is advertised via a small link at the top of the National Park Service’s Liberty Bell web page.
EarthCam does not place cameras in private locations where people have an expectation of privacy, Cury said. And the camera itself — on the wall in front of the bell — is not hidden, he said. Visitors, the CEO said, view the camera as an attraction.
“When you are looking at a lot of our cameras,” Cury said, “people are standing in front of them and waving.”
Joe Girardi was driving earlier this month when he spotted a youth baseball game near his home in New York. He had to stop. Girardi, the former Phillies manager, stood in the outfield and watched the group of 7- and 8-year-olds.
“I was a little worried about the kids,” Girardi said. “Because I coached my son when he was in coach pitch and the thing I hated to hear the most was the ice cream truck. Because I knew at that point that I lost him. The ice cream truck was there and I was a little worried about these kids, but they only had a half inning to go and they got through it.”
It’s been more than four years since Girardi last managed in the majors, but the 61-year-old has yet to leave the game. He works as a TV commentator for Yankees broadcasts, was in the booth Sunday for the Yankees-Phillies game, and is sometimes the guy in the outfield hoping no one hears the ice cream truck.
He’s open to managing again, a job he did for 14 seasons. He won a World Series in 2009 with the Yankees against the Phils, was the National League Manager of the Year in 2006 with the Marlins, and guided the Phillies for two-plus seasons before being fired early in the 2022 season.
“If I had an opportunity, I would love to listen to that,” Girardi said. “But I’m happy with what I’m doing, and if I never get an opportunity, I’m OK with that.”
Next month, Girardi will return to the dugout in South Philly to manage a team in the Perfect Game All-American Classic on Aug. 16 at Citizens Bank Park. The annual showcase brings together the country’s 60 best high school seniors, many of whom will be drafted next summer. Girardi will manage in his old ballpark.
Joe Girardi will be back in his old ballpark, Citizens Bank Park, on Aug. 16 managing in the Perfect Game All-American Classic.ELIZABETH ROBERTSON / Staff Photographer
“This is a thrill for me,” Girardi said. “This is a celebration of what they’ve accomplished so far, but it’s just the surface of what they can accomplish. I’m excited to see it because I’m amazed at the young talent that’s out there right now and how good these young players are and how physical they are.
“I’m excited to see this game and just be a part of it. These kids dream about playing in the big leagues, and you’ll have a lot of first- and second-round picks from this game in 2027. They’re a lot closer than they think. It will be enjoyable for me one day to say, ‘Oh, I managed that kid four years ago and now he’s in the big leagues.’ That’s exciting for me.”
No regrets
Girardi’s broadcasting work reminds him of the one thing he does not miss about managing a big-league club.
“We got to the hotel here in Chicago at 2:15 a.m., and I don’t miss that,” Girardi said Monday before calling that night’s Yankees-White Sox game.
He approaches his TV work with the same detail he brought to the dugout. He was armed Sunday night with stats and data to support his analysis during the Phillies-Yankees game on NBC, sounding a lot like the manager who came prepared to afternoon sessions with reporters.
“I enjoy studying the other team and how to beat them,” Girardi said. “That’s what I love. I watch a ton of games. I watch the home broadcasts so I watched the Phillies for a week and picked up little things about their club and what’s going on. I just feel like that’s the best way to scout. And I dig into the numbers heavily. That’s what I love about it.”
The Phillies missed the postseason on the season’s final day in Girardi’s first year, a 60-game season in 2020 without fans that was delayed after the pandemic halted spring training. Girardi was hired because of his pedigree with the Yankees and wonders if things would have been different in Philly under normal circumstances.
“Yes, I do,” Girardi said. “Just that everything was so closed down and I felt like we couldn’t be people. We weren’t supposed to slap high fives with guys if they scored or hit a home run. I remember the time that Miami got sick and they were at our ballpark and we had to shut down for a few days. I drove into the parking lot and they handed me the thing to spit in. A guy in a Hazmat suit. Then I drove around after I spit and gave it to another guy out the driver side window. I was like ‘This is the life we’re living.’ It was just so strange.”
“I don’t look back with any regrets. I enjoyed my time in Philadelphia.”
A masked Joe Girardi greets then-Marlins manager Don Mattingly in their season opener for the 2020 season that was reduced to 60 games because of the COVID pandemic.CHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer
The Phillies fell short again in 2021, and Girardi was fired in June 2022 after a slow start. Rob Thomson, Girardi’s bench coach, took over and guided the Phillies to the World Series. The Phillies fired Thomson in April and replaced him with Don Mattingly. He seemed to have the same touch as Thomson four years ago as the Phils inched toward first place before stumbling the last few weeks. Girardi knows how it feels to be the guy at home watching your team win without you.
“I felt bad for him,” Girardi said. “It’s hard because I know how much Rob put into it. They got off to a slow start and were playing two teams who were extremely hot in the Cubs and the Braves, and he got let go. I feel really bad for him.
“It’s hard to just be let go. Because you give up so much to manage. You’re rewarded handsomely as a manager, but you give up a lot of family things and you dedicate yourself to the team, and I always felt a huge responsibility for everyone because if we didn’t do well, it affected a lot of people. It wasn’t just me. It could affect my coaches, the front office, other people. It’s just hard to be let go because you put your heart and soul into it.”
Full circle
Girardi was between managing jobs when he spent the summer of 2018 coaching his son’s youth baseball team. He drove his SUV to Perfect Game tournaments across Florida and up to Georgia while his son Dante folded the back seats to make a bed.
“I was driving and he was sleeping,” Girardi said. “It was so enjoyable for me because my favorite thing in the game of baseball is to see people have success, and I got the chance to do that. With these Top 60 players, these kids have had a lot of success. And I want to see them have some more.”
Girardi had already won a World Series as a player and a manager by then, but he learned something that summer managing teenagers.
“It was a term that I never heard before,” Girardi said. “Our manager said ‘We have a P.O. coming in.’ I’m going ‘What’s a P.O.?’ For us, that meant something different, right? But it meant ‘Pitcher only.’ They would fly in, pitch a game, and leave. It was like Roger Clemens.”
Dante Girardi, who played high school ball with Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter, will be on his dad’s coaching staff next month in Philly. It’s full circle, his dad said. The ice cream truck used to ruin his practice, and now they’ll be in the dugout together. And the Perfect Game All-American Game reminds Girardi of an All-Star Game for college summer-league players he played in at Veterans Stadium in the summer of 1984.
Girardi’s Cape Cod League team shared the visiting clubhouse with the Cubs, who were in town to play the Phillies. The Cubs drafted Girardi two years later, and he reached the majors in 1989. His first manager was Don Zimmer, who he saw that day at the Vet. It all happened so fast.
“The one thing I want these kids to realize is they’re not that far away,” Girardi said. “In a blink of an eye, you can be an All-Star in the Major League All-Star Game. This is fun for me.”
LeBron James is set to make $8 million over two years with his move to the Philadelphia 76ers. But how much money will the city’s economy get out of the deal?
“It’s hard to precisely quantify, sitting here today, what that exact number is going to be,” said Ethan Conner-Ross of Econsult Solutions Inc., a Philadelphia-based economics policy consulting firm.
Of course there’s James’ own money as a high-earning professional coming into the region — including any local taxes he’d pay, and the money he would spend to rent or buy a place in the Philly region, though rumors suggest he might commute from New York.
The greater economic impact depends on how many consumer dollars come into the city that wouldn’t have without James joining the Sixers.
“The level of interest in the team, and then ultimately the success of the team, could definitely play out in more economic activity in a few different ways,” including short- and long-term outcomes, Conner-Ross said.
History provides some idea of how this athlete could financially benefit the city.
A 2017 Harvard study found that James’ presence in Cleveland and Miami was tied to an increase in the number of food and beverage businesses within a mile of the arenas in those cities and a boost in employment at those establishments.
Moody’s Analytics economist Matt Colyar says James’ presence won’t increase housing prices in the area or lower the unemployment rate, but if the team performs well and ends up playing more playoff games, that could fill up restaurants, bars, and hotels with Sixers fans on additional days.
“All that is serious dollars,” Colyar said, “but not the kind of thing that makes us revisit our forecast for Philadelphia’s long-term trajectory.”
Where will money be spent?
In the short-term, James’ move could mean more ticket sales and jerseys bought, Conner-Ross said. It likely means more media and more fans coming to town for games.
Early signs suggest this is already happening. Fanatics, the sports apparel company, sold out of some LeBron James Sixers jerseys within hours of the announcement Friday that he would join the team. Preseason ticket prices have risen as well, 6abc Action News reported.
How much money stays in Philadelphia will be a “tourism story,” Conner-Ross said. Hotels, restaurants, and bars near the arena or downtown could benefit.
Some of the money spent by locals on James-related experiences and merch may have been spent locally anyway, Conner-Ross said. That could still be positive for the city, he said.
A billboard welcome sign for new Sixers LeBron James along Packer Avenue in South Philadelphia on July 24.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
“Philadelphia entertainment activities are not the only things competing for those dollars,” he said. “These folks have the ability to spend their entertainment dollars at the Shore or going to New York, or what have you.”
If “they’re excited about the Sixers and spend more in town, it’s probably a net positive,” Conner-Ross said.
Boosting Philly’s reputation
Some of the James effect — like more media exposure and nationally televised games for the Sixers — will make money for non-Philly beneficiaries.
“Those aren’t dollars that are going to support public parks in Philadelphia,” Colyar said.
But there could be a reputational gain, Conner-Ross said. Hosting the World Cup, the All-Star Game, and other events have helped Philadelphia be seen in a positive light, he noted, and James could similarly contribute to the city’s image.
“Philadelphia is … competing with other East Coast cities, other places in the country, in the world for residents, for visitors, for businesses, and that reputation really does matter,” Conner-Ross said.
That kind of influence can have financial consequences, even if it’s hard to measure in exact dollars.
International soccer star Lionel Messi, for example, helped raise Miami’s profile in the soccer world as well as attract tourism, and the Wall Street Journal says some have estimated that his presence on Inter Miami has generated billions of dollars for the city.
To be sure, Messi’s and James’ situations are like apples and oranges — or soccer balls and basketballs — in part because they’re playing out in different cities.
In any case, the influence of a star like James could have a trickle-down effect.
People aren’t “going to necessarily point to LeBron James and say, ‘Now I have to live there,’” Conner-Ross said. But “it affects their perception of Philadelphia as a place that people choose.”
He likes his cookies chocolate chip, and his wine Oregon pinot noir.
And when it comes to music, LeBron James has a thing for Beethoven.
In fact, the Sixers’ new No. 23 has had a bit of a first-hand experience with classical music. He once took some quick instruction from Curtis Institute of Music alum Lang Lang before the two broke into a four-hand duet — brief, random, and (intentionally) atonal.
Lang Lang called the light-hearted 2014 collaboration a “piano dunk.”
Beethoven has a particular role in Jame’s routine, he explained in an interview with The Shop. He gets to games hours early and goes to the weight room, where he listens to hip-hop.
“And then when I leave the weight room, I gotta calm down and that’s why I’m listening to, like, more like old school jazz or I listen to a lot of, like, Beethoven,” he said on the talk show in 2022. “I like classical music, too.”
Taking its cue from James’ classical leanings, WRTI-FM (90.1) has quickly assembled some music especially for him.
“We thought we would create something Philadelphia-specific that we could put out as his new pregame playlist as the jazz and classical station here,” said WRTI classical program director Zev Kane.
Jazz cuts to make the list include “Smilin’ Billy Suite: Part II” by South Philadelphia’s Heath Brothers and Philadelphia organist Shirley Scott in “Soul Shoutin’.”
On the classical side: Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, because of its place as “a dazzling showcase of energy, elegance, and the unmistakable Philadelphia Sound,” the playlist text says.
The Barber Violin Concerto is on the list, since the third movement’s “breathless finale takes off with the speed of a full-court chase-down block.”
Kane says he believes there are characteristics shared by music and sports that could act as an on-ramp into music for classical newbies.
“I think playing music at an extremely high level and playing sports at that level — I think there are parallels: the need to train mind and body, the practice, the repetition, the heat of the moment, the debate over greatness, and the thrill of convening to see that spectacle together.”
The Eagles received some unfortunate injury news to kick off training camp.
The team announced Wednesday that linebacker Jonathan Greenard is being placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list (PUP). Greenard, 31, suffered a pectoral strain while lifting before training camp, which began Wednesday. The team noted that the injury is “not expected” to be a long-term concern.
General manager Howie Roseman spoke about the injury prior to Wednesday’s training camp practice.
“One of the things we know about Greenard, he’s going to be ready to play,” Roseman said. “He’s going to be ready to play when we start the season. … This is nothing we’re concerned about.”
Greenard was limited to 12 games with the Minnesota Vikings last season due to a left shoulder injury. He had surgery this past offseason.
This is a blow to an Eagles edge rusher group that was banking on Greenard topping the depth chart. After Jaelan Phillips signed with the Carolina Panthers in free agency, the Eagles traded third-round picks in 2026 and 2027 for Greenard on April 24. He then signed a four-year, $100 million contract that includes $50 million guaranteed.
The two returning edge rushers in the rotation are Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith Jr., who are now set to get increased reps in training camp.
Ex-Atlanta Falcon Arnold Ebiketie signed a one-year deal worth more than $7 million this offseason and will also factor into the rotation. Former Buffalo Bill A.J. Epenesa, rookie seventh-round pick Keyshawn James-Newby, and Jose Ramirez are also fighting for reps at the position.
Like everyone else, Sixers announcer Alaa Abdelnaby was shocked when news broke LeBron James was coming to Philadelphia.
Now he’s settling into the reality of calling games featuring the future Hall of Famer, who passed up a return to Cleveland to sign a two-year deal with the Sixers.
“I don’t think it was a farewell swan song he was looking for,” Abdelnaby said. “He’s still looking to win.”
It’s a wild swing for Abdelnaby, who is entering his 11th season calling Sixers games. His was hired in the middle of “The Process” and Philly lost 72 games during his first season as a color analyst. Now the team is coming off an exciting playoff upset of the Boston Celtics and added two superstars in James and Jaylen Brown.
“In Philadelphia we’re not used to having nice things,” Abdelnaby joked. “All eyes are going to be on you. I think everybody has to pick up their game a little bit.”
LeBron James chose Philly over Cleveland, Miami, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
That’s true for the network as well. Alexandra Matcham, the vice president of content for NBC Sports Philadelphia, said it was budgeting in hopes of staffing up for the season.
“If you get a generational talent on your team, it could easily become a situation where the people that work for us are burnt out by December, and you don’t want that,” Matcham said. “You need extra help.”
That’s a welcome change in an era where regional sports networks like NBC Sports Philadelphia have been hit hard by cord cutting. How things shape up remains unclear, but Matcham said there are several possibilities.
“It’d be helpful if somebody who’s followed and covered him were on our staff,” Matcham said. “Maybe we add people like that.”
For years, NBC Sports Philadelphia and its predecessor, Comcast SportsNet, turned to reporters like Serena Winters and Taryn Hatcher for Sixers broadcasts. The network is weighing whether to add a third voice alongside Abdelnaby and play-by-play announcer Kate Scott, but the role wouldn’t be confined to baseline updates.
“As I’m talking to my colleagues, I’m not even calling it a reporter role because I feel like it’s going to give them a stereotype I don’t necessarily mean,” Matcham said.
“I think you need a voice on the court where Alaa and Kate can’t be to give us insight, do pre- and postgame interviews, analysis, all of that,” Matcham added. “It’s a very hard job to do.”
A lot more national TV exposure for the Sixers
NBC Sports Philadelphia announcers Kate Scott and Alaa Abdelnaby will be in the spotlight this season. Steven M. Falk / Staff Photographer
While the NBA hasn’t released its 2026-27 schedule, Matcham expects NBC Sports Philadelphia to air fewer Sixers games.
The network, which has broadcast Sixers games since 1997, is guaranteed at least 67 games this season as part of its deal with the NBA. It’s widely expected the league will take 15 Sixers games — the most allowed under their current TV deal — and put them in exclusive national windows on ABC, NBC, and Amazon’s Prime Video.
“LeBron’s arrival in Philadelphia instantly becomes one of the biggest stories in sports and adds even more star power and intrigue to an already loaded NBA schedule,” said Justin Byczek, NBC’s executive vice president of programming and rights management. “His move elevates some of the league’s most historic rivalries, including highly anticipated battles with the defending NBA Champion New York Knicks.”
Another 19 games are expected to air nationally and on NBC Sports Philadelphia as side-by-sides on Peacock, ESPN, and NBA TV. That’s 34 national games for the Sixers, compared to just 14 when the schedule was announced last season.
Under the NBA’s current media rights contract, every NBA team is guaranteed at least two national broadcasts. Only the most popular teams land 34, the max allowed under the 11-year, $76 billion TV deal.
It’s a great outcome for the NBA. The Lakers remain relevant with Luka Dončić, while James’ decision to join the Sixers will juice interest in matchups against the Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, and Miami Heat, who were spurned by LeBron but landed Giannis Antetokounmpo. There’s also the Sixers-Celtics rivalry, already heightened by Philly trading for Jaylen Brown.
“Christmas Day and all the top-level NBA nights, you’re going to see the Sixers,” said Jon Lewis, a TV ratings expert who runs the Sports Media Watch website. “Plus the national networks will have LeBron on the East Coast to showcase in that 8 o’clock window. That’s primetime, after all.”
What remains unclear is what impact James will have on NBC Sports Philadelphia’s viewership numbers. Last season, the network averaged 86,000 viewers per game, according to Nielsen numbers obtained by The Inquirer. That was a 25% increase compared to the 2024-25 season, when the Sixers lost 58 games and missed the playoffs.
Lewis said he would expect local ratings to go up in Philly if the 41-year-old stays healthy and the Sixers are big-time contenders. But he also noted just one Lakers game was among the 30 most-watched NBA games last season
“I would set expectations higher,” Lewis said, “just not overwhelmingly high for where he is at this point.”
The interest will also carry over to the Sixers three preseason games, beginning with their Oct. 8 matchup on the road against the Brooklyn Nets. Historically NBC Sports Philadelphia hasn’t covered those road preseason games, but that could change with James on the team.
“It’s the first preseason game with LeBron in a Sixers jersey,” Abdelnaby said. “So if our bosses were to say, ‘Listen, we’re covering that,’ I wouldn’t be surprised.”
NBC Sports Philadelphia is also looking to create more content to meet the high level of interest James will draw. That includes everything from adding and upgrading cameras throughout the arena to tinkering with in-game graphics and production equipment.
“Every game is going to mean something big,” Matcham said, “so everything we do has to show that off.”
