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"I had to sacrifice" - LeBron James reveals the two vices he cut out to overcome sciatica injury
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- "I had to sacrifice" - LeBron James reveals the two vices he cut out to overcome sciatica injury
LeBron James entered his record-breaking 23rd season with plenty of question marks after missing the season opener for the first time in his career due to a sciatica issue. The Los Angeles Lakers , led early on by Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves , started the season strong, and many wondered how James would fit back into the mix.
After a slower start, which was understandable for a player nearing his 41st birthday, James even saw his historic streak of 1,297 consecutive games with at least 10 points come to an end. The narrative grew louder – the four-time NBA champion might finally be slowing down.
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Cutting out wine and chocolate chip cookies
But away from the spotlight and while dealing with back pain, James was fighting a private battle. He decided to give up two things he loves, wine and chocolate chip cookies, to get his body back in shape as quickly as possible.
"Since I wasn't playing as the season started, I needed to give up something," James confessed on the recent episode "Mind the Game" podcast. "I had to sacrifice something, actually two things that I love: drinking wine and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. I completely took it out."
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"It's well documented I missed the first 14 games of the season and wasn't playing in November. I missed training camp, and I was like, 'Alright, I've got to sacrifice something.' No wine, no liquor, nothing for the month of November. Once I got to December, I just kept going. I didn't have my first drink or my first piece of dessert until New Year's. It was good to give my body a break," James added.
James has been playing productive basketball since returning from injury
At the time, reports surfaced that James had stopped drinking alcohol during his rehab , but many remained skeptical. After all, he was a 40-year-old player at the time with back issues and little left to prove after an illustrious career filled with championships and accolades.
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However, since returning, Bron has played 36 games, the most on the team during that stretch, while averaging 22.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 7.1 assists on 50.2 percent shooting in 33.3 minutes per game. No player has remained this productive at this age, ever, further proving that his sacrifice paid off.
Throughout his career, James has been known as a passionate wine lover, often speaking openly about how a glass of fine wine helps him relax during the long, stressful NBA season. His love for chocolate chip cookies is equally famous — something Dwyane Wade once described while recalling James' exit from the Miami Heat .
"I saw Bron. He was like a 5-year-old kid when the cookies weren't on that plane. He got real quiet and pushed them cards away, and I was like, 'Oh, that's not good,'" Wade said .
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"One thing you don't do is mess with LeBron's cookies. No, no, no — this is serious. He loves chocolate chip cookies and ice cream. He loves that," he added.
LeBron continues to challenge himself
Wade was referring to an incident when team president Pat Riley took the cookies away during a flight to ensure players followed the strict diet that was part of the "Heat Culture". There were no exceptions, not even for James.
James has always been synonymous with discipline and perfectionism when it comes to maintaining his body through training and nutrition. Adding this latest sacrifice to the equation makes it clear that giving up his favorite indulgences was no small matter for him.
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Even now, after winning everything there is to win both individually and team-wise, he continues to find new ways to stay competitive at the highest level.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Feb 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
