LeBron James took a quick sip of a fan’s wine after accidentally spilling it during Philadelphia’s win over Chicago. James said he was checking whether the wine had spilled on his arm; Dave Portnoy turned the moment into a dig at James, alleging he lacked impulse control and implying he had a drinking problem. The fan, longtime season-ticket holder Troy Clemons, said he wasn’t upset and simply threw the cup away afterward.

By the Numbers
  • Philadelphia improved to 7-1 with the win.
  • James took one sip from Clemons’ drink.
Yes, But

Portnoy framed the sip as evidence of a problem, but the account provides no evidence to support that claim. James described it as a spontaneous taste after spilling the wine, and Clemons said he had no issue with the interaction.

Bottom Line

A brief courtside mishap became a social-media pile-on, but the fan at the center of it treated it as no big deal.