After plenty of attention was brought to Luka Doncic’s fitness level following his shocking February trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, the five-time All-Star has been putting another surprise together this offseason.
After reports of an improved physique surfaced earlier this summer, a profile in Men’s Health magazine confirmed the extent to which Doncic has gone to develop a slimmed-down look as he prepares for his first full season in L.A.
Doncic, 26, has generally been listed at 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, although opinions on the weight have varied. It did not prohibit him from scoring 28.2 points with 8.2 rebounds and 7.7 assists last season.
But reports indicated this past winter that the Dallas Mavericks had become exasperated with Doncic’s lack of fitness, which might have contributed to a calf injury that the star guard had been rehabbing for a month prior to the trade that shocked the NBA.
Ankle, calf, knee and back injuries have slowed Doncic at certain times in his career, although he still managed to play at least 61 games in a season until he was reduced to 50 last year with the Mavericks and Lakers combined.
Now, Doncic is visibly slimmer after an improved diet combined with a fitness program. He has been avoiding gluten and keeping sugar to a minimum, while loading up on protein to help him get through multiple workouts a day that include lifting weights along with on-court drills.
“Obviously, be the best that I can be, take care of myself,” Doncic said to Men’s Health. “This year, with my team, I think we did a huge step. But this is just the start, you know. I need to keep going. Can’t stop.”
While LeBron James exercised a contract option to return to the Lakers in 2025-26, the team also added center Deandre Ayton, guard Marcus Smart and forward Jake LaRavia.
The profile did not mention Doncic’s current weight, but photographs showed off his slim look with greater muscle definition in his arms. His workouts kept him away from basketball at first, then had him return to the court in June. He will play for Slovenia in EuroBasket in August.
“So every summer I try my best to work on different things,” he said. “Obviously, I’m very competitive. This summer was just a little bit different, you know. It kind of motivated me to be even better.”
–Field Level Media
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