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Another Ex-LeBron James Heat Teammate Confirms Infamous Pat Riley Cookie Story
The LeBron James cookie story continues to get crazier.
In February, Dwayne Wade claimed he first believed James would leave the Miami Heat to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers in free agency when Heat president Pat Riley stopped allowing James to have cookies on team flights. On Tuesday, former Heat guard Mario Chalmers confirmed the story and elaborated.
Chalmers claimed James was so mad he refused to talk to anyone on the flight. He also said, "Here's why it got worse. We're on the 27-game winning streak. Pat is so much in control, we had won 25 games in a row."
The funny story got big enough that the organization itself denied the claims about the sweet treats.
The Heat were in the middle of a run in which they reached four consecutive NBA Finals and won two championships. James left to return to Cleveland that summer, where he led the Cavaliers to an NBA title in 2016. The Heat haven't won a title since he left town.
The moral of the story is don't mess with LeBron James's cookies.
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Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.