Sports

Trading card company Topps broke news of LeBron James’ free agency decision

Published

29 minutes ago

July 25, 2026

Topps, the Fanatics-owned trading card company, hopped into the NBA newsbreaking business Friday morning. It announced that LeBron James would be signing with the Philadelphia 76ers via a social media post displaying James’ first autographed trading card in a 76ers uniform.

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

BREAKING: LeBron James is joining the Philadelphia 76ers for his historic 24th NBA season.

LeBron makes it official by signing his first ever 76ers trading card.

One collector who purchases the base edition will receive this 1-of-1 autograph. pic.twitter.com/x9aBBFjVwX

— Topps (@Topps) July 24, 2026

According to the company, this marks the first time a player move has ever been announced via trading card.

The Topps Now card was available for purchase 90 minutes before James’ No. 23 jerseys became available through the Fanatics website and the team’s official online shop (which is operated by Fanatics). Topps Now cards are sold individually and only available for purchase from the company’s 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.

The topic of James’ decision came up multiple times during his panel discussions at Fanatics Fest in New York last week — once on July 16 in a podcast with Tyrese Haliburton and on July 17 during James’ live episode of “The Shop.” In the latter, James used the phrase “trust the process” multiple times, a reference to a slogan tied to the 76ers’ rebuild around Joel Embiid.

Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin was previously a minority owner of the 76ers but sold his stake in 2022. In a comment on James’ Instagram post about the news, Rubin said, “You should have told me before I sold my ownership!!!! But seriously LFG let’s go get the chip.”

Why LeBron James chose the Philadelphia 76ers

Joe Vardon and Jeshua Kidd

Last year, Kevin Durant happened to be on a panel during the final day of Fanatics Fest when news broke that he had been traded to the Houston Rockets. Interviewer Taylor Rooks announced the deal in real time, bringing a wry smile to Durant’s face.

James signed an exclusive trading card and autograph rights deal with Topps (owned by Fanatics) in January 2024 that came into action once the company regained the exclusive license to produce NBA trading cards in late 2025. Since then he’s worn a number of custom patches for the brand (including one to commemorate his historic 23rd season in the NBA), that will be included in future Topps cards. He also added a crown to his signature on some Topps cards.

— Tony Jones contributed reporting from Philadelphia.

The Athletic maintains full editorial independence in all our coverage. When you click or make purchases through our links, we may earn a commission.

Sports

How to watch Astros vs. White Sox: TV channel and streaming options for July 24

Published

3 minutes ago

July 25, 2026

qasimgillani

July 24, 2026 Updated 7:19 pm EDT

The Houston Astros will look to Jeremy Pena, riding a three-game homer streak, against the Chicago White Sox at 7:40 p.m. ET on Friday, at Rate Field. Davis Martin (9-5, 3.31 ERA) will start for the White Sox, who are 54-47 this season and first in the AL Central. Spencer Arrighetti (7-5, 4.34 ERA) is the expected starter for the Astros, who are 50-54 and third in the AL West.

How to watch Houston Astros vs. Chicago White Sox

Astros vs. White Sox odds

Favorite Moneyline: White Sox -140
Underdog Moneyline: Astros +115
Total: 9
Total Over Odds: +100
Total Under Odds: -120

Injury reports

White Sox

Kyle Teel: 10 Day IL (Ankle), Tyler Gilbert: 15 Day IL (Shoulder), Tanner Murray: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Prelander Berroa: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Ky Bush: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Mike Vasil: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Jordan Leasure: 60 Day IL (Flexor), Austin Hays: 60 Day IL (Calf), Brooks Baldwin: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Drew Thorpe: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Everson Pereira: 7 Day IL (Concussion)

Astros

Brice Matthews: 10 Day IL (Knee), Mike Burrows: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Hayden Wesneski: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Carlos Correa: 60 Day IL (Ankle), Brandon Walter: 60 Day IL (Elbow)

Stats to know

Chicago’s Miguel Vargas has hit 21 home runs this season, which ranks 18th in MLB. He has also tallied 61 RBIs (20th in MLB) and has scored 68 runs. In 435 plate appearances, he has recorded a .245 BA, .350 OBP and .486 SLG with a 12.9% walk rate and a 16.8% strikeout rate. He has been effective on the base paths, recording 11 steals on 13 attempts.
In 330 plate appearances, Sam Antonacci has slashed .278/.370/.408 this season. He has hit seven long balls and driven in 30 runs with a strikeout rate of 15.5% and a walk rate of 7.3%. He has 13 stolen bases on 18 attempts. He has come around to score 52 times.
Yordan Alvarez is hitting for a .328 BA, .433 OBP and .656 SLG with a 17% strikeout rate and a 14.8% walk rate. His OPS is 1.089, which ranks 1st in MLB, and he has scored 69 runs. In 446 plate appearances, he has hit 34 home runs (1st in MLB) and driven in 77 runs (1st in MLB).
In 410 plate appearances, Isaac Paredes has hit 14 long balls, tallied 54 RBIs and scored 42 runs. He is batting .263/.354/.438 and has posted a 15.1% strikeout rate and a 9.5% walk rate.

This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.

Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

Photo: Jamie Squire, Ishika Samant, Scott Taetsch, Alika Jenner / Getty Images

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Jul 25, 2026

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Sports

How to watch Reds vs. Cardinals: TV channel and streaming options for July 24

Published

12 minutes ago

July 25, 2026

qasimgillani

July 24, 2026 Updated 8:20 pm EDT

The St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds clash in the first of a three-game series on Friday at Busch Stadium, at 8:15 p.m. ET. Dustin May (5-7, 4.78 ERA) will start for the Cardinals, who are 52-50 this season and fourth in the NL Central. Rhett Lowder (3-7, 5.75 ERA) is the expected starter for the Reds, who are 47-54 and fifth in the NL Central.

How to watch Cincinnati Reds vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Reds vs. Cardinals odds

Favorite Moneyline: Cardinals -145
Underdog Moneyline: Reds +118
Total: 8
Total Over Odds: -110
Total Under Odds: -110

Injury reports

Cardinals

JoJo Romero: 15 Day IL (Appendix), Ramón Urías: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Max Rajcic: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Pedro Pages: day-to-day (Illness)

Reds

Matt McLain: 10 Day IL (Calf), Blake Dunn: 10 Day IL (Elbow), Tony Santillan: 15 Day IL (Oblique), Nick Lodolo: 15 Day IL (Finger), Graham Ashcraft: 60 Day IL (Forearm), Brandon Williamson: 60 Day IL (Shoulder)

Stats to know

St. Louis’ Jordan Walker has hit 22 home runs this season, which ranks 12th in MLB. He has also tallied 77 RBIs (1st in MLB) and has scored 65 runs. In 426 plate appearances, he has recorded a .291 BA, .352 OBP and .519 SLG with an 8.2% walk rate and a 24.6% strikeout rate. He has been effective on the base paths, recording 14 steals on 19 attempts.
In 429 plate appearances, Alec Burleson has hit 15 long balls, tallied 69 RBIs (7th in MLB) and scored 54 runs. He is batting .284/.345/.469 and has posted a 14.9% strikeout rate and a 7.9% walk rate.
Sal Stewart is hitting for a .249 BA, .327 OBP and .472 SLG with a 21.1% strikeout rate and a 10.5% walk rate. His OPS is .799 and he has scored 53 runs. In 440 plate appearances, he has hit 21 home runs (18th in MLB) and driven in 73 runs (4th in MLB). Stewart has recorded 11 steals on 14 attempts.
In 367 plate appearances, Elly De La Cruz has slashed .276/.351/.503 this season. He has hit 17 long balls and driven in 46 runs with a strikeout rate of 27% and a walk rate of 10.1%. He has stolen 16 bases on 22 attempts and has scored 55 runs.

This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.

Photo: Jamie Squire, Ishika Samant, Scott Taetsch, Alika Jenner / Getty Images

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Jul 25, 2026

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Sports

Recap of live chat with Eno Sarris on July 24

Published

20 minutes ago

July 25, 2026

qasimgillani

We are 10 days away from the MLB Trade Deadline and into the post-All-Star break section of the regular season. Which pitchers look poised to finish strong and which ones have red flags for the rest of the season? Eno Sarris chatted live with subscribers on July 24 about his most recent starting pitching rankings, A.I. in baseball and everything else on subscribers’ minds.