With greatness comes sacrifices, even if you’re just giving up guilty pleasures. That’s the case for LeBron James.
On the latest episode of James’ “Mind the Game” podcast with Steve Nash, the Los Angeles Lakers star opened up about cutting two of his favorite treats in order to stay healthy: wine and chocolate chip cookies.
“I wasn’t playing — I missed the first 14 games of the season — I wasn’t playing in November, missed all of training camp and everything, so I was like, ‘Alright, I got to take something out. I have to sacrifice something,'” the 41-year-old said.
James, who didn’t play his first game until Nov. 18 against the Utah Jazz — where he scored 11 points and dished out 12 assists — said for the entire month of November, he would abstain from desserts and alcohol entirely.
He revealed that once the month ended, he decided to continue the fast through December. He didn’t break the alcohol and dessert fast until New Year’s Day.
For Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, giving up the cookies might be taking it too far.
“I’d rather retire than do this. This is why he’s him,” Clark wrote in a comment on ESPN’s Instagram post about James’ podcast comments.
James, the longest active player in NBA history with 23 seasons, said that he’s still unsure if he’ll extend his career even further next season.
“Yeah, I mean I want to live,” he said before his 22nd NBA All-Star Game. “… I just want to live, that’s all.”
James is averaging 22 points while shooting 50.2% from the field, 5.8 rebounds and 7.1 assists in the 2025-26 regular season.
