Given how much of a role Luka Dončić’s weight and commitment to conditioning played in the Dallas Mavericks’ decision to trade him in February, the five-time All-Star has dedicated himself to getting in peak condition this summer.
Per The Athletic’s Dan Woike, Dončić has dropped “significant” weight thanks to a “strict diet” and commitment to cardio training since the Los Angeles Lakers’ season ended with a first-round playoff loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
There have already been images circulating online recently that show Dončić looking slimmer than he normally does.
In the aftermath of the Mavs’ stunning decision to trade Dončić, concerns about his long-term outlook were frequently cited as one of the reasons they made the move.
The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported on Feb. 26 that some people within the Mavs organization described Dončić as “lazy” and his weight was a source of “frequent frustration” for team officials.
Per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Dončić’s weight got into the high-260s at one point early in the 2024-25 season and a wrist injury that kept him out for five games in late-November was used to let him “focus on his conditioning.”
After the Lakers made the trade for Dončić, Magic Johnson cited LeBron James as being a positive influence for him going forward by “teaching him his championship mentality that includes taking his conditioning seriously.”
Whatever the issues were for Dončić last season, the fact that all of the information about him so far this offseason has been extremely positive is great news for the Lakers.
There’s still a lot of work for the general manager Rob Pelinka and the front office to do to make the Lakers a title contender in a deep Western Conference going into next season, but a motivated Dončić can go a long way toward helping them close the gap on the Oklahoma City Thunder.
For whatever physical issues Dončić may have had during the 2024-25 campaign, he still averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7.7 assists in 50 games between the Mavs and Lakers.