LeBron James‘ big free agent decision has shaken the NBA once more after the all-time leading scorer chose the Philadelphia 76ers as his next team. 

Fans have quickly jumped on board, with Fanatics saying his newest jersey has broken some records. 

For the period of the first 48 hours after James made his long-awaited announcement, his new 76ers jersey sold the most ever of a player joining a new team across all sports, according to Fanatics records. 

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LeBron James’ new Philadelphia 76ers jersey (Fanatics / Fox News)

James surpassed Shohei Ohtani’s decision to move to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023.

And more James merchandise was sold in the first 24 hours after his decision was made than the first week after he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, according to Fanatics records. 

LEBRON JAMES MAKES NBA FREE AGENCY DECISION, ANNOUNCES PLANS TO SIGN WITH 76ERS

Since Friday, James merchandise has accounted for eight of the top 10 selling products across all sports throughout the Fanatics network of sites. 

James will enter Year 24 in the NBA with his fourth different team after signing a two-year, $8 million contract with the Sixers. He promised this would be his “last decision,” meaning this could be his final chance to earn another NBA title. 

The 41-year-old took a major discount to join a team primed to make a championship run. In addition to James, the 76ers made a trade with the Boston Celtics for another NBA Finals MVP, Jaylen Brown, before James made his decision. 

A LeBron James Philadelphia 76ers shirt from Mitchell & Ness. (Fanatics / Fox News)

So, the starting five in Philadelphia figures to be James, Brown, former league MVP Joel Embiid and dynamic guards Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe. 

James said on X that he thought he was done with his future Hall of Fame career at the end of last season, believing he had played his final game in the sweep by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Playoffs. 

“I thought I was done when the season ended. I wasn’t ready to announce it, and I knew I needed some time to really decide, but I was pretty sure I played my last game. I was honest at that last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and decide if I still love this game,” James wrote on X.

“I still truly love this game, and I have more to give.”

In this Feb. 27, 2020 file photo, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James appears during an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File / AP Newsroom)

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James added that he still wants to “sacrifice” and “grind” for his team, and he believes the 76ers can be a championship squad during the 2026-27 season. 

The 76ers were swept by the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and they hope the additions of James and Brown can propel them to a championship.

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Operator

Greetings. Welcome to the Everforth Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Call. [Operator Instructions] Please note, this conference is being recorded.

I will now turn the conference over to Kimberly Esterkin, Head of Investor Relations. Thank you, Kimberly. You may begin.

Kimberly Esterkin
Vice President of Investor Relations

Good afternoon. Thank you for joining us today for Everforth’s Second Quarter 2026 Conference Call. With me are Ted Hanson, Chief Executive Officer; Shiv Iyer, President; and Marie Perry, Chief Financial Officer.

Before we get started, I would like to remind everyone that our commentary contains forward-looking statements. Although we believe these statements are reasonable, they are subject to risks and uncertainties, and as such, our actual results could differ materially from those statements. Certain of these risks and uncertainties are described in today’s press release and in our SEC filings. We do not assume any obligation to update these statements made on this call.

For your convenience, our prepared remarks and supplemental materials can be found in the Investor Relations section of our website at investors.everforth.com.

Please also note that on this call, we will be referencing certain non-GAAP measures, such as adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and free cash flow. These non-GAAP measures are intended to supplement the comparable GAAP measures. Reconciliations between GAAP and non-GAAP measures are included in today’s press

Countryfile presenter Matt Baker has opened up about the difficult grief he experienced following the death of his dog Bob, telling Radio Times that losing the border collie “took a lot to get over” after the animal had been by his side through many of the major moments in his life.

Baker, 48, told the magazine that Bob’s absence left a significant void in his daily life. “He’d been with me for the major moments in my life, so it was tough when he wasn’t,” Baker said. “We’re fortunate to have these animals in our lives.”

The BBC presenter first announced Bob’s death publicly in May, sharing a montage of photographs and video clips on Instagram tracing the dog’s life from puppyhood through years of adventures on the family’s farm. In his caption at the time, Baker revealed that Bob had actually died some time before the post was shared, explaining that he had been unable to speak publicly about the loss sooner because of how deeply it had affected him.

“It’s with a very heavy heart that I’m letting you know our wonderful Bob is no longer with us,” Baker wrote in the original Instagram post. “He’s been gone a while but I haven’t been able to talk about it as I’ve been finding it so incredibly sad.”

Baker described Bob as a constant, steadying presence throughout an eventful period of his life, both professionally and at home. “Bob was a brilliant dog he was there for me with his gentle soul as the ultimate companion through some of the greatest chapters of my life from raising our kids to all the changes we made on our family farm,” he wrote. “It’s broken my heart but I feel hugely grateful to have had him in our lives and I thank him from the bottom of my heart for everything he’s taught me and brought to our family.”

Closing out the tribute, Baker reflected more broadly on the particular kind of grief that comes with losing a pet. “I’m sure all you dog lovers will agree the reason we love our dogs so much is because the only time they break our hearts is when they leave us. RIP Bob X.”

The post drew an outpouring of sympathy from fans in the comments section. One follower wrote, “So sorry for your loss. You are so right. They break your heart at the end. They give so much to our lives and leave permanent foot prints on our souls.” Another added, “So sorry for your loss, Matt. He was lucky to have had you and your family in his life, as you had him in yours.”

Baker, who lives on a small farm in the Chilterns Hills in Hertfordshire with his wife, Nicola, and their two children, currently keeps two other dogs at home: a miniature dachshund named Ivy and a young border collie named Ted. The family’s farm is also home to livestock including chickens and sheep, reflecting the rural lifestyle Baker has built his television career around in recent years.

Dogs have been a defining presence throughout Baker’s public life and career, dating back to his years hosting the long-running children’s series “Blue Peter.” Baker joined the show in 1999 and spent seven years as one of its presenters, during which time a border collie named Meg became a familiar on-screen companion. Reflecting on that period in the same interview, Baker recalled how disorienting it felt to be without a dog for the first time when his career required him to relocate. “When I moved down to London it was the first time in my life that I’d been without a dog and I felt quite lost,” he said.

Bob’s death was not the first pet loss Baker has publicly mourned in recent years. In April of last year, Baker announced the death of Isla, a cairn terrier who had been his oldest and smallest dog at 13 years old. He described Isla at the time as “sweet, kind, tough, fast as lightning, and a patient gentle mum,” and the announcement drew condolences from fellow television personalities, including Steps singer Ian “H” Watkins.

Baker has built much of his broadcasting career around his connection to rural life and animals, hosting programs including the More4 series “Our Farm in the Dales” alongside his family. He currently anchors both “The One Show” and “Countryfile” on BBC One, with the latter regularly drawing more than 8 million viewers on Sunday evenings. Beyond his presenting work, Baker has also used his background as a former British gymnast to contribute to the BBC’s sports commentary coverage of gymnastics events, including at the Olympic Games.

Baker’s willingness to speak candidly about pet loss reflects a broader openness that has become part of his public persona in recent years, as he has used his platform to discuss both the joys and the emotional difficulties that come with a life closely intertwined with animals, whether on his own family farm or through decades spent presenting some of British television’s best-known nature and lifestyle programming.

After yesterday’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps performance trying to attack an American military base in Jordan, on top of all the other attacks they’ve made, and all the things they’ve refused to say about a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz deal — these are radical Islamists who hate America, hate Israel, deluded into thinking that they can win the war and run the Middle East, and continue to sponsor terrorism and build nuclear weapons.

It’s one thing after another with them, and I think it’s fair to say that negotiations are going nowhere. President Trump is doing what no other president has done, trying to bring peace and freedom to the Middle East and stop the Iranians, and stop their nuclear ambitions — but I think his options right now are battlefield and major combat operations, not diplomacy. And I support this.

And I would simply add the importance of Economic Fury, maxing out all sanctions, Kharg Island, hammering again their nuclear facilities and capabilities that may or may not be left. These are not rational people. It’s a theocratic regime, run by militarists and Marxists. The end result is escalation, which right now is inevitable. The president will make his mind up, but I think the handwriting is on the wall. Resumption or return to major combat operations and a tightening of the economic screws. It’s not tit for tat.

I’m still believing in unconditional surrender. And finally, covert operations. I assume there has already been a presidential finding on covert operations by our CIA and other secret intelligence services. And I am assuming hand-in-glove work with the Israeli Mossad. This is an Iranian version of the Reagan Doctrine, which brought down Soviet communism without firing a shot, but using covert operations to help freedom fighters in Poland and Eastern Europe and Latin America.

This could be the Trump version of the Reagan doctrine, as already practiced in Venezuela and probably soon in Cuba. Yet most pressingly and importantly practiced right now in Iran. Whether Reza Pahlavi, or a temporary leader or group of leaders, or whoever else, any covert operations that will move us in the direction of regime change must be a vital part of our war strategy.