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LeBron James Responds to Caitlin Clark's Comment She'd Rather 'Retire' Than Follow His Diet Change


LeBron James revealed this week that he gave up wine, liquor and dessert for nearly two months while recovering from the sciatica that caused him to miss the first 14 games of the 2026-26 NBA season.

Those sacrifices clearly gave WNBA star Caitlin Clark chills, who revealed—perhaps jokingly—that she'd rather retire than give up eating cookies:

But James isn't buying it .

"I saw [her comments]. ... She's disciplined as well," a smiling James told reporters on Saturday. "And I guarantee if she had to give up something in order to get her back on the floor, she'd do it as well."

It may be harder for Clark to comprehend the need for such sacrifices, given that she's only 24 and her body bounces back in a different way than it will when she's 41 like James. It's also a reminder of how dedicated James has needed to be to extend his career this long while still playing at an extremely high level.

There will be plenty of time for cookies and ice cream during retirement, in other words. Easy enough to say when you aren't the one giving them up, though.

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