PHILADELPHIA, July 30 -- Two hours. That is how long it took for every first-edition No. 23 Philadelphia 76ers jersey to vanish from Fanatics' network. By the time most of the city had processed what LeBron James's agreement meant for the franchise, the shelves were bare and the phones at a Center City sporting goods shop had not stopped ringing.

Fanatics confirmed Wednesday that James's 76ers debut has surpassed Shohei Ohtani's 2023 move to the Los Angeles Dodgers as the single largest merchandise launch by any athlete switching teams in the history of professional sports. The record that had outlasted Ohtani, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo did not survive LeBron James and a week in Philadelphia.

James signed a two-year deal with ...