LeBron James Took A Sip Of A Fan’s Wine Mid-Game, And Now The NBA May Have A Decision To Make

LeBron James in his Philadelphia 76ers No. 23 jersey© Instagram/@kingjames

LeBron James was chasing a loose ball in the third quarter on Monday when he ran into the crowd, crashed into a fan and spilled his wine. Then he took a sip of it. By the end of the night, the clip was all over social media, and the 76ers' 126-107 win over the Bulls had slipped to second place. Now people are arguing about whether the NBA should do something about it. Here is what happened, and what everyone is saying.

What Happened In The Third Quarter

The 76ers led 75-65 with 7:33 left in the third quarter. Tyrese Maxey grabbed a long rebound and threw a hit-ahead pass to LeBron, hoping for another dunk. The ball sailed just out of reach and went out of bounds, and LeBron stumbled into the seats behind the basket. He bumped into a fan named Troy Clemons, who was holding a cup of wine.

The drink spilled. LeBron grabbed the cup, took a quick sip and gave it back before he ran back to defend.

After the game, he explained it with a smile. “I crashed into him, spilled some of his wine,” he said. He wanted to find out whether it was worth it, and he gave his review: “It was all right.”

The fan told the story just as simply. “LeBron crashed into me, he grabbed me and he said, ‘My bad,'” Clemons said. He also said he was just glad LeBron is in Philadelphia. And he didn't keep the cup, because “at the end of the day, he's another man like me.”

LeBron also played his part on the court. He finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and nine assists in 31 minutes, and the Sixers moved to 7-1.

Asked about having fun during a game, he said, “It's a long marathon, and if you don't find ways to have fun throughout,” it can wear on you.

Portnoy, The Fans And The NBA

Not everyone laughed. Barstool's Dave Portnoy said, “If anybody else did this they'd be checked into AA.” He also questioned what kind of example it sets for kids. And he brought up that LeBron lives in New York while playing for the Sixers, something he called the “biggest spit in the face” to any sports city back in July.

Fans mostly had fun with it. “If Bron sips my drink, I'm not mad, I'm framing the cup,” one wrote. Others joked that the fan will tell the story for 40 years.

As for the NBA, it could take a look. But it has been here before. In 2017, LeBron pretended to drink a beer courtside during a playoff series, and the league did nothing. In 2019, then-Sixers forward Mike Scott jumped into the stands, took a fan's cup and sipped from it. The league reviewed it, but there was no fine, and the team gave no punishment either. A fine looks unlikely this time.

Whatever the NBA decides, LeBron has already given his review: it was all right.