LeBron James sacrificed wine during a two-week cleanse. Yes really.

LeBron James has been the best basketball player on the planet for almost a decade, partly because he has managed to keep his body in perfect shape. And on Thursday afternoon when the Lakers fired, he revealed that part of his off-season diet included a two-week clean-up during which he was giving up alcohol, gluten, products dairy products and artificial sugars.

When asked what was left, James replied, "In life? Air."

"It made me want more and more wine," he laughed. "It's a challenge but I like challenges."

James is a sommelier, a connoisseur of wine. Shortly after signing with the Lakers, he had a $ 4,000 wine night. Four thousand dollars. Four wine experts noted his taste in wine. Of course, he knows what he's doing.

The fact that he was able to abandon the wine is a feat in itself. What more gluten, artificial sweeteners and all other alcohols? (I'm looking at you, D'ussé.) It's a superhuman matter, and LeBron is as superhuman as they come.

James said that the most difficult thing, besides his beloved wine, was dieting with kids eating at night.

"It's the discipline you must have," he said. "When you have three kids running around the house and they're making chocolate sprinkle pancakes sprinkled at 11am. You have to be very disciplined not to let go.

Is it hard to give up gluten?

Gluten is a protein found in cereals, such as wheat, barley and rye. Here is a list of food products that include:

• Bread
• Pasta
• noodles
• Pastries
• granola
• Cereal
• Cookies, crackers and most snacks
• Flour tortillas (no burritos, fam)
• Beer
• pancakes
• Most sauces (because they are thickened with flour)
• Something with flour

There is a longer list of other food products could include gluten, too. It's hard. Really difficult.

But James is as tough as they come, and this two-week cleanse is another proof of that. To be king, you have to eat like a king. And now that his cleaning is over, LeBron is probably somewhere drinking red wine.