LeBron James quitting wine does not sound like a big basketball headline, but Brian Windhorst thinks it tells you exactly where LeBron’s head is right now. This is not a guy winding things down. It is a player still obsessed with squeezing every last edge out of the moment he is in.
Windhorst shared that Dave McMenamin mentioned earlier this week that LeBron has stopped drinking wine entirely. That detail matters if you know anything about LeBron.
As Windhorst put it, one of LeBron’s real pleasures in life has always been drinking high-end French or California wine. It is just something he genuinely enjoys.
This is not how a player acts when he’s winding down
According to Windhorst, LeBron made the decision after doctors and therapists warned him that it could be affecting his sciatica. So he cut it out. Windhorst summed it up simply. That is not the behaviour of someone ready to ride off into the sunset and put basketball behind him.
LeBron has said it himself. “I’m trying to squeeze all the juice out of this orange. I’m trying to beat Father Time.” It is a familiar sentiment, but it carries more weight when it is paired with actual sacrifice. At 41, most players cling to routine. LeBron is still willing to disrupt his own if it helps him stay sharp.
There were plenty of fair questions entering the season. The mileage is historic, the injuries have stacked up, and sciatica kept him out for the first 14 games. He has missed 17 games total. And yet, when he is out there, the drop-off everyone expected just has not arrived.
LeBron is averaging 21.9 points, 6.6 assists, and 5.8 rebounds while shooting better than 50 percent from the field. Those are not sympathy numbers or “for his age” numbers. That is the production the Lakers still depend on. Those kinds of numbers make him deserving of being an all-star this season.
Los Angeles currently sits at 29 and 18, fifth in the West. Whenever he plays, he can dictate changes. Defenses still react to him. Teammates still feed off him. That was clear again against the Washington Wizards.
In his last game against the Wizards, he scored 20 points, but the way he got them stood out more than the total. Two alley-oop finishes, one with the left hand. Then an isolation where he broke down 20-year-old Alex Sarr and powered to the rim like age was not even a factor.
That is why the wine matters. It is not about discipline points. It is about intent. LeBron is still choosing competition over comfort. And as long as that is true, the Lakers should know this chapter is not done yet.