![\"Caitlin](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2261346970-e1771416768998.jpg\")
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Caitlin Clark talks on stage as she joins NBC\u2019s Sunday Night Basketball prior to the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on February 01, 2026 in New York City.<\/p>\n
Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark would rather retire than give up chocolate chip cookies. The 24-year-old made that clear while reacting to comments from her idol, LeBron James<\/a>, who recently revealed that he gave up his beloved dessert<\/a> during his rehab at the start of the season, when he missed 14 games with sciatica.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d rather retire than do this. This is why he\u2019s him,\u201d Clark wrote on IG.<\/p>\n Caitlin Clark on LeBron giving up chocolate chip cookies:<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d rather retire than do this. This is why he\u2019s him.\u201d<\/p>\n (h\/t @MaskedInLA<\/a>, @Fullcourtpass<\/a>) <\/p>\n James revealed on the latest \u201cMind the Game\u201d podcast<\/a> that he gave up drinking wine and eating chocolate chip cookies for nearly two months during his rehab process.<\/p>\n \u201cI needed to give up something,\u201d James said of his mindset during his 14-game absence at the start of the 2025-26 NBA<\/a> season.<\/p>\n \u201cI had to sacrifice something. There are two things I love \u2014 drinking wine and eating chocolate chip cookies for dessert. I completely took it out.\u201d<\/p>\n LeBron James Sacrifices His Vices<\/p>\n The sacrifices weren\u2019t easy on the Lakers<\/a> star, who admittedly craved his chocolate chip cookies and ice cream on several nights during his period of abstinence.\u00a0 He similarly craved a glass of wine when he was sidelined, marking the first time in his 23-year NBA career that the 41-year-old had sat out the early portion of an NBA season.<\/p>\n \u201c[Giving up] the chocolate chip cookies were probably the hardest for me,\u201d James admitted. \u201cBut the wine, too, because when I wasn\u2019t playing and was a little stressed, maybe I wanted a glass here or glass there.\u201d<\/p>\n To James\u2019 credit, he maintained his teetotaling, sugar-free lifestyle even after rehab, just to practice discipline and challenge himself.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce I got to December, I was like, \u2018Oh.\u2019 I kept going,\u201d James revealed. \u201cI didn\u2019t have my first drink and my first piece of dessert until New Year\u2019s night.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo I ended up going basically two months.\u201d<\/p>\n Caitlin Clark Idolizes LeBron James<\/p>\n Clark\u2019s flattering comments on James don\u2019t come as a surprise.<\/p>\n The Iowa alum has spoken extensively about why James is her biggest inspiration, not just for his on-court exploits but also for his contributions to the game off the court.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s one of my idols. LeBron is the GOAT to me,\u201d she said last year. \u201cHe\u2019s my favorite player of all time.\u201d<\/p>\n Clark has also been appreciative of James for regularly showing up to WNBA games and supporting women\u2019s basketball.<\/p>\n \u201cHe knows what he\u2019s talking about,\u201d Clark said of James during her senior year in college, via USA Today\u2019s Lindsay Schnell.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHe pays attention, he supports the game. He doesn\u2019t just talk about it, he really shows up and supports (us). I think that\u2019s the coolest thing, (to have) one of the greatest of all time really helping support and grow women\u2019s basketball. He\u2019s exactly what we need.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tSai Mohan<\/a> covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Lakers\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t