Year 23 in the NBA doesn’t get easier. It gets stricter. For LeBron James, staying available this season required something different than workouts or film sessions. It required removing comfort from his daily routine.

The Lakers forward revealed on the latest episode of Mind The Game that his recovery from right-sided sciatica forced him to change habits he normally never touches. “I gotta sacrifice something… I actually did two things that I very love. Drinking wine and my chocolate chip cookies for dessert. I completely took it out.”

That admission explains why this stretch has felt unusually demanding. The challenge was not competing against younger players. It was maintaining discipline while he couldn’t play.

James missed the first 14 games of the season dealing with sciatica, limiting both practice time and conditioning. Because of that, the recovery process extended beyond treatment and into routine behavior.

He committed to removing alcohol and desserts for all of November and kept going into December. “So for the whole month of November did no desserts and no wine… I didn’t have my first drink and first piece of dessert until the New Year.”

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

The difficult part, according to James, wasn’t physical pain. It was restraint during inactivity. Without games, stress builds differently for veteran players who rely on rhythm. That is why the sacrifice mattered. It gave him control over something when he couldn’t control availability.

LeBron James missed games at the start of the season with the Lakers

Late-career stars usually reduce minutes. James instead reduced habits. Historically, his longevity has been built on investment and conditioning, but this situation required denial rather than addition. He had to remove comforts while watching games from the sideline, not simply adjust workouts.

The context matters. After returning, he averaged 22.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 7.1 assists, helping the Lakers maintain a winning record in games he plays.

At the same time, the cautious approach cost him individual milestones. Missing 18 games ruled him out of the 65-game threshold for end-of-season awards, ending a 21-year All-NBA streak. That trade-off defines the phase. Availability for the postseason over personal accolades.

James has dealt with discipline decisions before. During his Miami tenure, team rules once removed sweets from flights, becoming a famous locker-room story tied to accountability standards.

The difference now is voluntary sacrifice. No staff rule required it. Recovery did. Because of that, the decision signals priority rather than preference. At 41, maintaining playoff condition outweighs maintaining routine. The Lakers’ season will ultimately judge the impact. If his health holds, the sacrifice becomes preparation. If not, it becomes a necessity.

Either way, James has already framed the objective. Extend performance, even if it shortens comfort.