Lebron James Is Having Fun In Philly And One Fan's Wine Can Prove It

LeBron James is having fun in Philly and one fan's wine can prove it originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

LeBron James is one of kind in so many ways. What he did Monday night might be the cherry on top.

In the third quarter of the Sixers’ 126-107 victory over the Bulls, James decided he’d take fan interaction to a whole new level.

He helped himself to a fan’s red wine.

James looked for a transition pass from Tyrese Maxey, who snagged a rebound. James was behind the pass and his momentum took him into the stands, where he disappeared for a few moments.

It wasn’t until another angle was shown on replay that we could see what actually went down in the darkness of the seats. James didn’t hold back giving reporters a play-by-play.

“I spilled some of his wine,” he said postgame. “I crashed into him, spilled some of his wine. So I wanted to see if it was worth it on my arm and how good it was. It was alright.”

Troy Clemons – the Sixers fan whose drink spilled – explained his perspective on the interaction with James to Kris Rhim of ESPN.

“[I was] walking to my seat … LeBron crashed into me, he grabbed me, he said ‘My bad,’ my drink spilled everywhere. He took my drink from me and he basically just took a sip of it, gave it back and ran back on the [court].”

Did he keep the cup?

“At the end of the day he’s another man like me,” Clemons said. “I mean he’s LeBron, but at the end of the day, I threw that cup in the trash. And it’s nothing up with him, I just got a fresh drink though.”

It should be noted that players are not supposed to drink from fans’ cups, but it’s rare for the NBA to fine someone for a spontaneous interaction such as this. In 2019, a similar thing happened when Mike Scott tumbled into the Bucks’ court-side seats. The Sixers star jokingly took a sip of a fan’s beverage and the NBA opted not to fine him. Time will tell if James has the same fate.

If nothing else, an interaction like this just shows how much fun James seems to be having.

The 24-year veteran noted the importance of finding joy in the game as he grinds through the season.

“It’s a long marathon. And if you don’t find ways to have fun throughout it, even though you’re working and even though you’re locked in, then it could wear on you. So for me, especially at this point in my career, being able to just appreciate the moments, the small moments, these fans are great to us. We try to be great to them as well. By playing the game the right way, playing the game hard and then also just being showmen as well, it was a great game for us.”

Head coach Nick Nurse also weighed in on the 41-year-old’s mindset coming into the season.

“This summer I think he probably stated publicly that he wanted to go some place and have some fun playing. He loves the game, [it’s his] 24th year. It’s a group of guys, like I keep saying, that have been super focused in the intent of playing the right way. I think he’s a big part of that.”

The vibes are high. It’s difficult for them not to be.

With Monday’s win against the Bulls, the Sixers are 7-1 and lead the Eastern Conference. They’ve won four in a row and the only team they’ve lost to is the Pistons. The Sixers will face them on Wednesday to start a three-game road trip.