Los Angeles Lakers point guard Luka Doncic apparently took all the mocking and criticism about his weight personally.
How much the 26-year-old Slovenian weighed when he was traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers back in early February was a hotly debated issue on nearly every sports talk show. That was especially the narrative when the Mavericks traded the former No. 3 overall pick for Anthony Davis largely due to concerns about his weight management, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“The Mavericks were motivated to move Doncic due to his constant conditioning concerns, sources told ESPN,” McMenamin said. “There had been significant frustration within the organization about Doncic’s lack of discipline regarding his diet and conditioning, which team sources considered a major factor in his injury issues.”
It was reported Doncic weighed as much as 270 pounds in Dallas, though the Lakers officially listed him as 230 pounds.
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Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers brings the ball up court during the first quarter against the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena on April 11, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images
Now, it seems Doncic’s weight issues are a thing of the past after he landed on the cover of Men’s Health on Monday.
Inside the magazine, Doncic gave an exclusive interview to Andrew Heffernan and Ebenezer Samuel about the crazy offseason body transformation he’s undergone over the last several months, in which he reveals how he’s shed some serious pounds to get in arguably the best shape of his basketball career.
Doncic incorporates two 90-minute sessions each day that “blend weight training, agility work, and shooting drills.”
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He also works out fasted, uses a resistance band tied to his waist to make it more difficult for him whenever he drives to the basket, and he plays other sports, including pickleball and padel, which Men’s Health describes as “pickleball meets squash.”
“The workouts consist of a series of circuits, each set up to include an on-court challenge (like those resistance band lay-ups) and an upper-body and lower-body exercise,” Heffernan and Samuel wrote.
“… He moves swiftly from circuit to circuit, banging out hip stretches one moment, working through renegade rows the next. It’s a session with barely any breathers, which is fine. This version of Dončić doesn’t need them. This Luka is…different.”
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Doncic has also dramatically changed his diet as well.
He began intermittent fasting to “limit inflammation and help his body recover better.” His first meal isn’t until after his first 90-minute workout.
Doncic also began a low-sugar, gluten-free diet, in which he consumes two high-protein meals and one almond milk protein shake, and he takes in at least 250 grams of protein per day.
According to Men’s Health, Doncic was inspired to begin his offseason conditioning program just one day after the Lakers were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“Every summer I try my best to work on different things,” Doncic told Men’s Health. “Obviously, I’m very competitive. This summer was just a little bit different, you know. It kind of motivated me to be even better.”