LeBron James had an odd little courtside moment Monday night, and it came in the middle of a strong outing in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 126-107 win over the Chicago Bulls.
James finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, but the play that got people talking had nothing to do with the box score. Cameras caught him behind the basket taking a sip from a fan’s cup. According to The Big Lead, James bumped into the fan, spilled the drink, apologized, then picked up the cup, took a sip and sprinted back onto the floor.
ESPN’s Kris Rhim spoke with the fan, and the outlet reported the drink was wine.
Dave Portnoy was quick to go after the moment. “If anybody else did this they’d be checked into AA but because it’s Bron Bron Sportcenter will do an hour special on it.” He added, “Who cares the example it sets for kids that you need to be drunk to play sports?”
Not everyone agreed with him. One fan responded, “dudes played 23 years.
I think he’s earned a beer without El Presidente calling his parents,” while another wrote, “We grow up watching stone cold you soft p***y,” and a third said, “Oh yeah because Dave portnoy is on a moral high ground. Oh shut up,”
James has done this kind of thing before. In 2017, he picked up an empty beer bottle from a server during a playoff game against the Toronto Raptors and pretended to sip from it. He later said, “If it had been red wine, I’d have drunk it,” according to CBS Sports.
This time, it was wine, and he actually took the sip.
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