This Delco man sunburned LeBron James’ jersey into his back in Sea Isle. He called it an act of ‘Philly toughness’

Joey Abel was born in Drexel Hill and raised in Broomall, but now works in insurance in New York. For the past few months, the 28-year-old has been surrounded by hordes of Knicks fans, reveling in their long-sought-after championship win.

It has not been a pleasant experience. Like most natives of Delaware County, Abel supports all four of Philadelphia’s pro sports teams, throughout the good times and the bad.

This included the Process years, when the Sixers were winning as few as 10 games a season. Even then, Abel was all-in. He was drawn to the analytical mind of Sam Hinkie, the excitement of Tony Wroten, and, of course, the hope of a bright future to come.

On Friday morning, at 11:30 a.m., that hope was realized. Abel was traveling from Atlantic City to Sea Isle City with his Aunt Rita for a family vacation down the shore, when he saw the news that LeBron James would be coming to Philadelphia.

He couldn’t believe his eyes. Back in May, the Sixers had seemed rudderless; a team encumbered by big contracts, with a small window. Now, Abel believed they had their missing piece, a future Hall of Famer who could lead them out of the wilderness.

The Malvern Prep alumnus was ecstatic. So, as he approached the beach, he decided to celebrate in a way only a Philadelphian could: by suffering, just a little bit more.

As Abel and his family planted chairs into the sand around the 56th Street beach in Sea Isle, an idea occurred to him. His nephews used a blue zinc sunscreen stick to protect themselves from the sun.

Eager to show his devotion to the King, Abel asked his sister, Jill, to write “James” and “23″ into his back, with no sunscreen applied anywhere else.

“I don’t even know [how I thought of it],” Abel said. “I was just like, ‘How can I get a LeBron James jersey as fast as possible?’ And for some reason, that’s where my mind went.”

With few clouds in the sky, and a forecast in the high 70s, the conditions were perfect for a roast. Abel played with his nephews in the water, and returned to the beach, lying flat on his stomach as he burned to a crisp.

About an hour later, his family rubbed the sunscreen off to find a semi-permanent LeBron James jersey seared into his back.

“I was like, ‘Alright, I want to see if I can get this good,’” Abel said. “And it got good.”

The reactions from nearby beach-goers were predictably hilarious. One man walked up to Abel and asked if he’d lost a bet. A few others sheepishly requested a photo of his scorching-red “James 23.”

His mother, Annette, was less enthused.

“They were all just embarrassed,” Abel said. “They’re like, ‘Joe, are you kidding me?’”

Later that night, he went out with Jill to the Ocean Drive, and met a fellow Sixers fan at the bar. The Delco native felt compelled to share his act of sacrifice.

“I couldn’t not show him the giant LeBron sunburn on my back,” he said.

Before long, the scene became a “photo shoot,” with others asking to take photos of Abel’s de facto tattoo.

This was Day 1 of the Abel’s family vacation. The 28-year-old will be in Sea Isle until Sunday, and has no plans to apply aloe vera before then.

“It does hurt, but I did it, right?” he said. “I’m gonna have to keep it. I don’t really want it to fade as fast. Philly toughness, like LeBron’s gonna learn.”

Abel says James’ decision has helped soften the blow of the Knicks’ recent championship win. The Delco native is now excited to return to New York City in the fall, and hopes to see the Sixers in person when he does.

But don’t expect him to go anywhere near Madison Square Garden.

“I think I’m going to have to go to a Nets game,” he said.