NBA Players With Private Jets: Who Actually Owns One

The most famous flyer in the NBA owns no aircraft at all. LeBron James spent October 2026 commuting between Manhattan and Philadelphia in a Leonardo AW139 helicopter painted with the Fanatics logo, a perk of a trading card deal, not a purchase.

That is the pattern for NBA players with private jets. We checked the Federal Aviation Administration’s aircraft register for every name on the usual lists, and only one jet is registered to a company that openly carries a player’s name: Michael Jordan’s MJ Air LLC.

This article covers Jordan’s Gulfstream G650ER, Shaquille O’Neal’s Challenger, Magic Johnson’s 44-year-old Gulfstream, the players who chartered or sold, and the league’s own fleet of team airliners, which is being replaced this season.

Quick facts about NBA players and their private jets

N236MJ Michael Jordan’s Gulfstream G650ER

N3250N The Challenger 605 tied to Shaquille O’Neal

1982 Year Magic Johnson’s Gulfstream III was built

0 Aircraft owned by LeBron James

Oct. 16, 2026 FAA register release checked for this article

Which NBA Players Own a Private Jet

The short answer is three: Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal and Magic Johnson, all retired. Only Jordan’s jet is still registered to a company with his name on it, and the other two now sit behind Wyoming companies whose owners the register does not name.

Player	Aircraft	Tail number	Arrangement
Michael Jordan	Gulfstream G650ER	N236MJ	Owns, via MJ Air LLC
Shaquille O’Neal	Bombardier Challenger 605	N3250N	Bought 2023; now registered to Garrote Aviation LLC
Magic Johnson	Gulfstream III	N32MJ	Owned since 2005; re-registered August 2026
LeBron James	Leonardo AW139 helicopter	N6FN	Fanatics corporate aviation, part of a sponsor deal
Mark Cuban (former Mavericks owner)	Gulfstream G550	N718MC	Owns, via Radical Ventures LLC
Tracy McGrady	Dassault Falcon 2000	Not public	Owned in the 2000s, since sold
Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry	None	None in their names	Charter

Registrations checked against the FAA releasable aircraft database, October 16, 2026 release.

How we checked

Celebrity jet lists copy each other, so a jet sold years ago or never owned keeps reappearing. We searched the FAA’s October 16, 2026 register for each player’s name, plausible company names and initial-based tail numbers. Jets are usually held by an LLC or a trustee, so a match needs a second link, such as a report citing the registration, before we call it a player’s aircraft.

Michael Jordan: N236MJ, the Only Jet With His Name on the Paperwork

Michael Jordan’s private jet is the best documented aircraft in basketball. N236MJ is a 2024 Gulfstream G650ER, serial number 6579, registered to MJ Air LLC care of Jump Management, his family and business office in Washington, D.C.

The FAA issued the certificate on October 1, 2024. The tail number is a résumé: 23 for his jersey, 6 for his championships and MJ for himself.

Gulfstream G650ERN236MJ · serial 6579 · MJ Air LLC · Michael Jordan

Current · active

RegisteredOctober 2024

Year built2024

Range7,500 NM

Top speedMach 0.925

PassengersUp to 19

Engines2x Rolls-Royce BR725

New price~$70.5M equipped (2023)

The jet wears a custom paint scheme with elephant-print detailing and the Jumpman logo on the tail. Its 7,500 nautical mile range is the longest of any jet in this article.

Many lists still describe his jet as a Gulfstream G550. That was the aircraft he flew before 2024, and it now carries the registration N239MJ under G4SP Holdings LLC of West Palm Beach, which took it over in July 2026. The full story of Michael Jordan’s private jets covers both airframes.

Shaquille O’Neal: The Challenger 605 That Was Called a 650

Shaquille O’Neal held out for a long time. In 2010 he told JetSet Magazine he would never own a jet: “There’s too much maintenance. If I own something, I like to know what is going on.”

In July 2023 he showed off his first one on Instagram, with his “Dunkman” logo on the tail and a cream leather cabin. Early reports called it a $27 million Challenger 650, and GlobalAir later corrected the type to a Bombardier Challenger 605, the model the 650 replaced in 2015.

Bombardier Challenger 605N3250N · serial 5849 · Garrote Aviation LLC · Shaquille O'Neal (reported)

Bought 2023 · owner not public

Acquired2023

Year built2010

RangeAbout 4,000 NM

Max cruise470 knots

Passengers12 as typically configured

Engines2x GE CF34-3B

Reported price~$27M (unconfirmed)

Simple Flying identifies the jet as N3250N, a 2010 Challenger 605. In the October 2026 FAA release, that airframe is registered to Garrote Aviation LLC, a company with a post office box in Jackson, Wyoming, under a certificate issued in June 2025.

The register does not say who stands behind Garrote Aviation, so whether O’Neal still holds the jet through it cannot be confirmed from public records. The widely quoted $27 million price has never been confirmed either.

He is still flying private. In summer 2026 staff at Fremont Municipal Airport in Michigan photographed him boarding his jet after a DJ set at the Electric Forest festival.

Magic Johnson: A 1982 Gulfstream III That Just Changed Hands on Paper

Magic Johnson flies the oldest jet on this list. N32MJ is a Gulfstream III, serial number 460, built in 1982, and the tail pairs his Lakers number 32 with his initials.

He bought it in 2005 from Clay Lacy, and in 2020 he dedicated its livery to the Lakers and Dodgers after both teams won championships. Simple Flying listed Magic Johnson Entertainment Inc. as the owner in 2024.

Gulfstream IIIN32MJ · serial 460 · Aviation Company Inc · Magic Johnson

Re-registered August 2026

Acquired2005

Year built1982

Range3,650 NM

Max cruise501 knots

PassengersUp to 19

Engines2x Rolls-Royce Spey Mk 511-8

Purchase priceNot disclosed

That changed this summer. On August 12, 2026, the FAA issued a new certificate for N32MJ to Aviation Company Inc., a corporation at a registered-agent address in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Whether that is a sale or a move into a privacy company is not public. The personalized tail number stayed on the airframe, which a new owner would normally change.

LeBron James: No Jet, but a Fanatics Helicopter

LeBron James does not own a private jet. He said so again in 2025, when a viral list put him among NBA players who fly their own aircraft, and no aircraft is registered to him or any company linked to him.

The Gulfstream G280 that the internet has attached to his name for years is a myth. How LeBron James flies without owning a jet traces where it came from and the NetJets charter he uses instead.

His 2026 commute is the newer story. James signed a two-year, $8 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers in July 2026 and reportedly lives in New York City during the season.

Leonardo AW139N6FN · Fanatics corporate aviation · LeBron James

Sponsor access · 2026

Provided byFanatics

ArrangementPart of a 2024 trading card deal

RouteManhattan to Northeast Philadelphia

Flight time30 to 45 minutes

Cabin5 to 10 passengers as laid out

Engines2x turboshaft

Defector counted 18 trips between Northeast Philadelphia Airport and the West 30th Street Heliport in Manhattan in the first days of October alone. The helicopter flies under the call sign N6FN, a mark reserved in July 2026 by Bank of Utah as trustee, which keeps the owner off the public record.

A spokesperson for James said the Fanatics deal “includes access to their corporate aviation.” Because Fanatics founder Michael Rubin sold his stake in the 76ers’ parent company in 2022, Defector and the Inquirer report that the perk is not treated as a way around the salary cap.

The Owner With a Jet and a Team Airliner: Mark Cuban

The NBA figure with the most aircraft history is an owner, not a player. Mark Cuban bought a Gulfstream V over the internet for $40 million in 1999, and his company Radical Ventures LLC still holds his Gulfstream G550, N718MC.

After buying the Dallas Mavericks in 2000, he gave the team its own Boeing 757-200, N801DM, refitted with room for players over seven feet tall. Cuban sold his majority stake in 2023, and in April 2025 the 757 was registered to Parallel Express LLC of Las Vegas.

Mark Cuban’s private jet history covers the online purchase, the 757 and the all-first-class 767 he rented out.

Tracy McGrady: The Player Who Bought One and Gave It Up

Tracy McGrady bought a Dassault Falcon 2000 while he was still playing. “It was a lot, it was $19 million,” he later said of the price.

The reason was fear, not status. After September 11 he stopped flying commercially, and he did not board an airliner again until Team USA travel required it.

“I had my own plane. What can I say? I was making a lot of money,” he told ESPN.

He later sold the jet, and he has said his children were upset when it went.

The Team Plane: Where Most NBA Flying Actually Happens

Active NBA players have little reason to own a jet, because the league flies them. For years, most teams have traveled on a dedicated fleet of Boeing 757-200s operated by Delta and fitted with just 72 seats.

That fleet is being replaced this season. The NBA agreed in September 2024 to lease 13 Airbus A321neos from SMBC Aviation Capital, with Delta operating them and lie-flat beds in the cabin. The Department of Transportation approved the arrangement on October 2, 2024.

The first, N701DH, began flying NBA charters on September 13, 2026, according to ch-aviation. Both N701DH and the second airframe, N703DH, are registered to Bank of Utah as trustee, so the lessor’s name does not appear on the register.

Why the team plane matters

From training camp to the playoffs, every road trip is booked onto a 72-seat airliner the league charters. A player who owns a jet uses it only in the offseason and on off days, which is why most choose charter or a jet card instead.

The wider picture of how clubs move their rosters is in our guide to sports teams with private jets.

The Origin Story: How NBA Private Flying Took Shape

Private flying in the NBA started with owners and stars from the 1990s, and the dated records tell the story better than the lists do.

October 1999

Mark Cuban buys a jet online. The $40 million Gulfstream V purchase sets a Guinness World Record for the largest single e-commerce transaction.

2000

The Mavericks get their own 757. Cuban buys the team and gives it a Boeing 757-200 refitted for seven-footers.

2005

Magic Johnson buys N32MJ. The 1982 Gulfstream III comes from Clay Lacy and gets his number and initials on the tail.

2010

Shaq says never. O’Neal tells JetSet Magazine that owning a jet means too much maintenance.

January 2020

Kobe Bryant is killed. The Sikorsky S-76B carrying him, his daughter and seven others crashes near Calabasas on a charter flight after the pilot flies into cloud.

July 2023

Shaq changes his mind. He shows off a Challenger with his Dunkman logo on the tail, later identified as a 605.

January 2024

LeBron signs with Fanatics. The trading card deal includes access to the company’s corporate aviation.

October 2024

Jordan’s G650ER is registered. N236MJ, serial 6579, is certificated to MJ Air LLC.

September 2026

The A321neo era begins. N701DH flies its first NBA charter for Delta, replacing the aging 757s.

October 2026

LeBron commutes by helicopter. The new 76er flies between Manhattan and Philadelphia in a Fanatics AW139.

Famous NBA Private Flight Moments

Kobe Bryant’s last flight

The aircraft Kobe Bryant died in was not his. It was a 1991 Sikorsky S-76B, N72EX, flown as an on-demand charter by Island Express Helicopters, which crashed near Calabasas on January 26, 2020, killing all nine people aboard.

The National Transportation Safety Board found that the pilot continued into cloud under visual flight rules and became spatially disoriented. What the final report says about the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash walks through the flight.

Shaq’s Photoshopped jet

Before he owned a real jet, O’Neal posted a picture of one with his ex-wife Shaunie’s name and face on the tail, presented as a gift. She called it out, and it turned out to be a Photoshop job.

LeBron’s 18 helicopter trips in a week

The 76ers commute became a story within days because anyone can track it. Flight data showed the Fanatics AW139 shuttling to Philadelphia and practice in Camden, with shorter hops to Teterboro and Philadelphia International, at an estimated $4,000 to $10,000 a one-way trip that James does not pay.

Why So Few NBA Players Buy the Aircraft

An 82-game schedule on a team airliner removes most of the reason to own. The team flies every player to every road game, so a personal jet sits idle for most of the season.

The players who did buy share a pattern. Jordan, O’Neal and Johnson all bought their current jets after retiring, Johnson chose a 23-year-old airframe, and McGrady, the one star documented owning a jet while playing, sold it.

For today’s stars, sponsors have filled the gap. Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry are reported to charter, with no aircraft in either name, and the biggest name in the sport rides in a helicopter a sponsor provides.

How the NBA Compares to Other Sports

Basketball owns bigger jets than football. NFL players with private jets mostly fly secondhand Gulfstream IVs and a Pilatus PC-24, while Jordan’s G650ER outclasses every aircraft on that list.

Across all sports, the full list of athletes with private jets puts Jordan alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Tiger Woods. In both leagues, though, the active players who own an aircraft are the exception.

FAQ

Three NBA players are documented owning a private jet: Michael Jordan, with a Gulfstream G650ER registered N236MJ to MJ Air LLC; Shaquille O’Neal, with a Bombardier Challenger 605 bought in 2023; and Magic Johnson, with a 1982 Gulfstream III registered N32MJ. All three are retired. Tracy McGrady owned a Dassault Falcon 2000 during his career and later sold it.

No. LeBron James does not own a private jet, and he denied it again in 2025 after a viral list claimed he did. The Gulfstream G280 often linked to him is not his. In 2026 he commutes between New York and Philadelphia in a Fanatics Leonardo AW139 helicopter provided through his trading card deal.

Michael Jordan has a 2024 Gulfstream G650ER, serial number 6579, registered N236MJ to MJ Air LLC in October 2024. It has a range of 7,500 nautical miles and a top speed of Mach 0.925. The tail number combines his jersey number 23, his six championships and his initials.

Shaquille O’Neal bought a Bombardier Challenger 605 with his Dunkman logo on the tail in 2023. It was first reported as a $27 million Challenger 650. Simple Flying identifies it as N3250N, a 2010 airframe, which the FAA now lists under Garrote Aviation LLC of Jackson, Wyoming, a company whose owner is not public.

Magic Johnson has flown the Gulfstream III N32MJ since 2005. On August 12, 2026, the FAA issued a new certificate for it to Aviation Company Inc. of Cheyenne, Wyoming, replacing the earlier Magic Johnson Entertainment listing. Whether that was a sale or a move into a privacy company has not been made public.

NBA teams fly on chartered airliners rather than small private jets. Most use Delta’s dedicated NBA fleet of 72-seat Boeing 757-200s, which is being replaced by 13 Airbus A321neos leased from SMBC Aviation Capital; the first began flying on September 13, 2026. The Dallas Mavericks have their own Boeing 757, N801DM.

Tracy McGrady is often named, but no record settles who was first. What is documented is that McGrady bought a Dassault Falcon 2000 for about $19 million while still playing, after September 11 left him afraid to fly commercially, and later sold it.

No aircraft is registered to Stephen Curry or Kevin Durant in the FAA’s October 2026 register, and both are reported to charter. Claims that Durant owns a Gulfstream G650 or Curry an Embraer Phenom 300 trace back to single articles with no registration behind them.