Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James discussed teammate Luka Dončić’s offseason body transformation during the latest episode of the Mind the Game podcast on Wednesday.
Speaking to co-host Steve Nash (beginning at the 20-minute mark), LeBron praised Luka for getting into better shape ahead of the start of the 2025-26 NBA season.
“He just looks obvious a little bit quicker, a little bit more functional,” James said. “But I think more importantly, what a lot of people will not see is the recovery now. I think when your body is in top-tier shape and you feel so much better—it’s not like Luka’s game is gonna change. … I think for him personally what’s gonna change is he’s gonna see how he wakes up the next day after three, four nights. … I’m super, duper proud of him.”
Dončić conditioning or lack thereof was a constant point of discussion during his time with the Dallas Mavericks, and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that internal concerns about his worth ethic played a role in the shocking decision to trade him to the Lakers last season.
Since the end of the 2024-25 campaign, Dončić has looked noticeably slimmer, and he discussed the workout regimen that helped get him to this point with Andrew Heffernan and Ebenezer Samuel of Men’s Health in July.
Fans already got a chance to catch a glimpse of the new-look Luka during the EuroBasket tournament over the summer, as Dončić led Slovenia to the quarterfinals.
He was arguably the best player in the tournament, leading all players with 34.7 points per game, and even LeBron marveled at the performance he delivered.
James also joked that he may need to get on Luka’s regimen at this point of his career, given that he is set to turn 41 in December.
LeBron and Luka largely seemed to mesh well last season following the blockbuster trade, as they combined to help the Lakers earn the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference before getting eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games during the first round of the playoffs.
However, now that Dončić appears to be in better shape than he has been in years, it is fair to wonder if the Lakers may be able to take that next step and get back to championship contention this coming season.
That picture figures to become clearer on Oct. 21 when the Lakers open their regular-season schedule against the Golden State Warriors.