PHILADELPHIA — LeBron James has famously said that he drinks a glass of wine a day, partly crediting it for his longevity.
On Monday night, he had an impromptu tasting during a game.
In the third quarter against the Chicago Bulls, with the Philadelphia 76ers leading by 11 points, James, chasing a loose ball, ended up colliding with a fan carrying a cup of red wine — James’ favorite.
And so he took a sip.
“I wanted to see if it was worth it on my arm, how good it was. It was all right,” James said with a smile.
That fan was Troy Clemons, a longtime Sixers season-ticket holder, who grew up with Julius Erving’s sons. Clemons said he wasn’t starstruck by the moment or upset that James took the sip.
”I’m just glad for him to be here,” Clemons told ESPN. “I’m not worried about the wine getting on me.”
The Sixers went on to win the game 126-107. The wine-fueled James finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and nine assists as the Sixers improved to 7-1.
In addition to the wine sip, James danced after an and-one layup that sent guard Tyrese Maxey into hysterical laughter, danced with Maxey moments later when the point guard had an and-one score of his own, and passed to teammates in tight windows all night.
On the surface, it appeared to be the most fun James has had since he has been in Philadelphia.
“Listen, it’s a long marathon. If you don’t find ways to have fun throughout it, even though you’re working, even though you’re locked in, then it could wear on you,” he said. “So for me, especially at this point in my career too, 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 a showman as well. But it was a great game for us.”
It isn’t the first time James has had an incident with alcohol during a game. After missing an and-one layup in Game 1 of the 2017 Eastern Conference semifinals, he playfully grabbed a beer bottle from a vendor’s hand, made a motion as if to take a sip, and handed it back.
The Sixers next play the Detroit Pistons, who handed them their only loss so far, on Wednesday.