PHILADELPHIA,PA - JANUARY 10: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shakes hands with fans after the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on January 10, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — After pouring 37 points on the 76ers and electrifying the Philly crowd in their own building, sparking energy that hadn’t been released in years, LeBron James had this to say.

“It’s a mutual respect. I love these fans here,” James said after the 10-point Cavaliers win over the Sixers on Sunday evening. “They’re unbelievable. They know sports. Obviously they love their teams. They love the Flyers. They love the Sixers. They love the Eagles. They love the Phillies. They respect the game and it doesn’t matter who it is, they respect that and there is mutual respect.”

“Oh, he’s just telling us what we want to hear!”

Certainly. But at least he has the understanding to say it.

During his intoxicating performance, James lit up the crowd after he followed a breakaway reverse dunk with a transition three. James had about half of the Wells Fargo Center “raising the roof” along with him. He even dabbed up a Cavs fan who was sitting courtside.

“King James” is larger than the game itself and anyone else involved in it. Being inside of the area on Sunday night, along with ex-Eagles running back LeSean McCoy and baseball’s best player Mike Trout, I could feel it. We all could feel it. We were all witnesses, just like his Nike slogan says.

But unlike recent arrogant mega NBA stars before him like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant — and even in comparison to universal stars in other sports like Peyton Manning is, Tiger Woods was, and Alex Rodriguez hoped to be — James is real. And it’s refreshing.

James, 31, is a family man and an unselfish person — exhibited by his pass-first nature and his eagerness to make his teammates better on the court. Sure, he’s one of the richest men on the planet and arguably the greatest athlete of all-time, but his core never leaves him.

When your net worth is $425 million and the number one gripe against you is your public “decision” to announce where you’re going to play basketball — which, oh by the way, raised $2.5 million for the Boys & Girls club — you’re doing something right.

Is LeBron image obsessed? Maybe. Is he a diva, at times? Fine. But more importantly, LeBron is universally loved by those closest to him — his family, his teammates, his coaches, and his competitors.

Haters will always hate because that’s what they do, but whether they like it or not, Lebron is real.

And in 2016, especially in our deviant sports world enhanced by today’s overly critical social-media generation, we shouldn’t take that for granted. At least, I don’t.