Going on age 41 at the time, coming off the longest absence of his NBA career, LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers found himself in uncharted territory: worried about his spot in the Association’s pantheon of big-name players. His response? Making a stark change to his diet—one that includes consuming zero alcohol.

This is not at all surprising under circumstances. Not only is he playing out the 23rd season of his career, but his team is no longer building around him. The Lakers are instead catering the timeline of Luka Doncic, a star in his mid-20s and roughly 15 years LeBron’s junior.

Entering these foreign waters naturally fomented a response from arguably the league’s greatest player of all time. How could it not? He’s LeBron James. He is also known for defying Father Time. Legend even has it that he spends seven figures per year on maintaining his body for the rigors of an NBA season.

Yet, the pressure even goes beyond LeBron James being LeBron James. There is no escaping his stature. But there is also no eluding the chase for further immortality: a sixth championship ring. That would level him with Michael Jordan, the NBA’s other GOAT candidate, while also putting him ahead of five-time title-winners like Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan.

For the first time in a while, though, this mission appears to have stalled. Even with the Lakers getting the flagship popularity bump, their NBA championship odds at Bodog sportsbook, as well as elsewhere, do not paint them as one of the favorites. Experts widely believe teams like the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets all belong in front of them. And that is just the list of Western Conference teams.

Whether Los Angeles can disprove doubters and shock an awful lot of people lies on the shoulders of its collective team. But the pressure LeBron is feeling to prove he can play a major part in defying these odds has perhaps never been more evident.

Battling sciatica is nothing new for many in their 40s. It was brand-spanking new to LeBron. He missed the start of the Lakers’ season with those back issues. Quite predictably, he tried everything and anything to optimize his recovery and return. As ESPN’s Dave McMenamin wrote ahead of LeBron’s latest return to play the Cavaliers in Ohio, this process included giving up alcohol:

“There's no telling the ride the Lakers could still go on this spring, especially if James can find that cape to put back on. While James is eight years older, he has shown a similar commitment to this season's Lakers team, sources said. He missed the first 14 games because of sciatica. But James stopped drinking alcohol during his rehab, and he has slimmed down considerably, hoping to take pressure off his back and joints and to "keep up with the young guys," he said.”

There is something uniquely relatable to LeBron grappling with his own athletic mortality and attempting to trim down accordingly. Sure, he has means and methods at his disposal most do not. But who among us cannot empathize with giving up alcohol as part of a diet? Ditto for those who fancy themselves weightlifting experts.

The positive effects of giving up alcohol are far flung. From improved sleep and energy levels, to better liver function and a better metabolism, blood pressure and blood sugar, the list of apparent effects of ditching alcohol is long.

Can it help a pro athlete like LeBron age in reverse? Of course not. That’s not a thing. But there is a reason why you read and hear about more and more athletes limiting, if not entirely weeding out, their alcohol intake. It is nothing if not a performance enhancer, particularly for those engaging in demanding physical activity.

As for whether this simple-yet-major adjustment will give LeBron the edge necessary to keep pace with the youngsters, time will tell. After all these years, though, you can’t help but appreciate his willingness to try.