Gracing the cover of Men's Health magazine this week, a new, leaner Luka Doncic has emerged. After concerns over his weight and conditioning have surrounded him for years, Doncic took on a different approach to his training and conditioning this summer. He's taken up intermittent fasting and a high protein diet, gone gluten free, and has been on an intense workout regiment that even involved not playing basketball for an entire month.
Even as Doncic racked up All-Star appearances, All-NBA first team honors and led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals in 2024, he couldn't escape the concerns over his physique and conditioning. It all came to a head last February, when the Mavericks made the unthinkable decision to trade Doncic to the Lakers while reports suggested that frustrations over his training habits were a big reason why Dallas would ship their superstar.
Though Doncic has taken advantage of the opportunity for a "fresh start" with Los Angeles, he didn't lean into the narrative that he used previous criticism as a motivation to get in better shape.
"I mean honestly I tried to not read much. I think I was still a pretty good basketball player back then, no matter what people say," Doncic said during an appearance on The Today Show. "I think it was a next step in my career. At the end, I'm still 26 and I got a long way to go."
While he may not have been in optimal shape through the first seven years of his career, Doncic has been one of the best players in the game. He's ranked top-four in average points per game over each of the last four seasons, and is regularly an MVP contender. He's now getting his conditioning in line with his level of play, which will ideally take his game to another level and/or help him thrive when he enters the later stages of his career.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Luka Doncic Responds to Criticism He's Received for Previously Not Being in Best Shape.
