“I wanted to see if it was worth it on my arm, to see how good it was. It was alright,” James said of the wine he sipped mid-game on Monday, Nov. 2

NEED TO KNOW

• James said he sampled the fan’s wine after spilling it when he chased a loose ball into the front row
• Season-ticket holder Troy Clemons said James apologized before returning his cup and heading back to the court
• James recorded 15 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in Philadelphia’s 126–107 victory over Chicago on Monday, Nov. 2

Cheers to a win, right?

During the Philadelphia 76ers’ eventual 126-107 win over the Chicago Bulls on Monday, Nov. 2, LeBron James crashed into a fan and took a sip of their wine before heading back to the court at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.

With the 76ers leading in the third quarter, James, 41, chased a loose ball into the crowd and crashed into longtime Philadelphia fan and season-ticket holder Troy Clemons, who was sitting in the front row.

The four-time NBA Champion playfully grabbed the cup from Clemons and took a swig of his red wine before making his way back to the court. In a post-game interview, James added context to the moment and why he felt inclined to indulge.

“I spilled some of his wine,” recalled the NBA legend, who is in his first season with the 76ers. “I crashed into him and spilled some of his wine. So I wanted to see if it was worth it on my arm, to see how good it was. It was alright.”

Clemons also shared his side of the story with the New York Post after his unforgettable encounter with James.

“Walking to my seat with whatever this beverage is,” he began. “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 field.”

“I’m just glad for him to be here,” he continued. “I’m not worried about the wine getting on me, you know? But I appreciate everything the Sixers are doing, and I’m here to have a good time, man. I appreciate it.”

“At the end of the day, he’s another man like me. He’s a regular… I mean, he’s LeBron. But at the end of the day, I threw that cup in the trash,” Clemons added. “And there’s nothing up with him… you know what I mean? I just got a fresh, clean cup.”

James, currently playing in his 24th NBA season, scored 15 points, had nine assists and seven rebounds on Monday as Philadelphia improved to 7-1.

James is no stranger to the wine game. He’s been vocal over the years about his love for the beverage and why he drinks it frequently.

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“I’ve heard it’s good for the heart,” James shared with ESPN’s Baxter Holmes in a 2020 feature. “Listen, I’m playing the best basketball of my life, and I’m drinking some wine pretty much every day. Whatever it is, I’ll take it.”

James previously admitted he gave up cookies and wine while preparing for what was his final season with the Los Angeles Lakers.

“I wasn’t playing obviously as the season started,” James, who missed the start of the Lakers’ season while coping with sciatica, said on “Mind the Game.” “So I needed to give up something. I gotta sacrifice something — and I actually did two things that I love, that is drinking wine and my chocolate chip cookies for dessert.”

While the cookie and wine ban was initially implemented for the month of November, James revealed he kept up the healthy habit through December.

“I kept going,” he said on the show. “I didn’t have my first drink and my first piece of dessert until New Year’s. New Year’s Day. So I ended up going basically two months.”

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