NBA owners have spoken out: Could LeBron James be facing a scandal too?

Pablo Torre said on Front Office Sports's "Tuned In" that even NBA owners had contacted him about the King's much-talked-about helicopter flights. LeBron currently lives in New York and regularly flies by helicopter to Philadelphia to link up with the 76ers, whom he signed for this offseason.

According to Front Office Sports, the 41-year-old made twelve round trips between New York and Philadelphia in one week. TMZ puts the cost at $6,000 to $9,000. A spokesperson for James said Fanatics sponsor the flights as part of a deal signed almost three years ago. The deal also gives LeBron access to Fanatics' private aircraft, corporate jets or helicopters.

Fanatics hold the exclusive rights to produce and distribute official LeBron trading cards and signed memorabilia. LeBron has also joined Mitchell & Newss, a fashion brand owned by Fanatics, as a co-investor. He reportedly uses a helicopter bearing Fanatics branding for his daily flights.

Why does Pablo Torre want to investigate LeBron James's flights?

If Fanatics alone are sponsoring the flights, LeBron has no problem. But if the 76ers, who pay LeBron just under $8 million over two years, are financially involved, it's a different matter. That's what Torre now wants to investigate.

"We're getting tips from owners who send me this story and ask: 'What is this?'" Torre said. "With this story, we're explicitly saying that we're very interested. And, of course, we're looking into all the ways this could be both a good story and something of interest to the league."

Torre's investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers' circumvention of the salary cap involving superstar Kawhi Leonard sparked a huge scandal. The NBA then launched an investigation and imposed severe penalties in September.

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What penalties did the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard receive over the Aspiration scandal?

The Clippers had to give up their first-round picks in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033, leading Torre to call it "the harshest punishment in NBA history". The franchise also had to pay a $30 million fine. The NBA suspended owner Steve Ballmer for a year and Clippers president Lawrence Frank for six months.

Kawhi also had to repay $700,000 to the NBA. A five-year ban prevents his former adviser "Uncle Dennis" from contacting NBA teams and conducting business on behalf of a player, staff member or employee.

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