LeBron James continues to break records in professional sports.
According to Fanatics, James’ Philadelphia 76ers jersey has surpassed Shohei Ohtani’s for the most jerseys sold by any player switching teams within the first 48 hours after the move was announced.
Ohtani’s previous record was set in 2023 when he revealed that he would be leaving the Angels and would be joining the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Los Angeles Dodgers Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates his solo home run against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, July 28 2026, in Los Angeles AP Photo/Wally Skalij
While the total sales numbers remain unknown, the data shared by Fanatics showed that more James’ 76ers merchandise was sold within the first 24 hours than it had when he announced he would be joining the Lakers in 2018.
The record-breaking sales by the legendary basketball figure continued as, 72 hours after his jersey was released to the public to order, Fanatics saw six different colorways with his No. 23 listed as out of stock on their website.
On Tuesday, Fanatics added more James jerseys to their inventory and currently has them listed for preorder.
When LeBron announced that he would be joining the 76ers on Friday, it sent the city of Philadelphia into a frenzy. He surprisingly chose them over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, and Miami Heat.
Philadelphia native and comedian Kevin Hart, who is also a friend of James, was sent into hysteria when James announced that he would be joining Hart’s beloved 76ers.
New York, NY July 16, 2026 LeBron James made multiple high-profile appearances at Fanatics Fest NYC 2026, including a live recording of his Mind the Game podcast with Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton BACKGRID
WNBA star Caitlin Clark was in the middle of a press conference during the WNBA’s All-Star weekend in Chicago when she found out that James would be coming to the City of Brotherly Love. Like most basketball fans, she was caught by surprise.
With James finally putting an end to his ‘final decision,’ he will now be tasked with helping Philadelphia win its first NBA title since 1983, when they ironically swept the Los Angeles Lakers.
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