While dealing with sciatica early in the season, Lakers star LeBron James shared how he put aside two things he was fond of to get healthy and return to the court.
For the first two months of the 2025–26 NBA season, LeBron James gave up two of his greatest indulgences as he worked to recover from a sciatic nerve injury.
“I had to sacrifice something, actually two things that I love: drinking wine and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. I completely took it out,” James said during a recent episode of his Mind the Game podcast with Steve Nash.
The 41-year-old entered his record-breaking 23rd season with questions about how he would fit into the Lakers’ rotation after missing the season opener for the first time in his career.
Early in the season, Los Angeles was led by Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, leaving fans to wonder how James would return to peak form.
After a slower start, James’ streak of 1,297 consecutive games with at least 10 points ended, raising concerns that the four-time NBA champion might be slowing down.
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Behind the scenes, though, the league’s all-time leading scorer was making a personal sacrifice to help his body recover.
He initially cut out cookies and alcohol for November, then extended the ban through December.
“Not playing, being a little stressed, I maybe wanted a glass here, a glass there. But it was good to give my body a break. I didn’t have my first drink and my first piece of dessert until New Year’s Day,” James bared.
He made his season debut on November 18 and played 36 games before the All-Star break, averaging 22 points, 7.1 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game while earning his 22nd consecutive All-Star selection.
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Health is Wealth
He also addressed the Lakers’ playoff and championship push heading into the second half of the season.
Los Angeles will not return to action until Saturday, February 21, when they face city rivals the Clippers in the Battle of LA.
“You know, a lot of people didn’t think we were going to play good ball. We’re playing good ball at times, but the most important thing for us is getting back to our health,” James said.
Five games separate the Lakers (33-21) from the San Antonio Spurs (38-16) for the second seed in the West.
James said recent injuries to Reaves and Doncic have prevented the Lakers from being fully healthy.
“Keeping those two guards on the hardwood will be the most important factor moving forward. We finally got healthy, you know, with AR coming back, then Luka goes down with the hamstring. So that is going to be the most important for our team.”
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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues