Lakers star Luka Doncic is showing off a serious offseason transformation, revealing on NBC's TODAY that he took an unprecedented one-month break from basketball to focus entirely on reshaping his body. The Slovenian guard, who has faced regular criticism over his conditioning, appeared on the cover of Men's Health this week sporting a noticeably leaner, more muscular look. "Just visually, I would say my whole body looks better," he tells the magazine.
Doncic, 26, says he and his trainers "tried some new things" this summer, overhauling his diet and training regimen. "Different food, different practices," he explained, noting he went gluten-free, cut sugar, and stuck to twice-daily workouts. The biggest change? "I actually gave up playing basketball for one month, which I've never done in my life. So it was kind of challenging, but it was all good." To pick up some of the slack, he tried other sports, including pickleball, he tells Men's Health.
Despite earning his fifth All-Star nod and leading the league in scoring with 33.9 points per game last season, Doncic's fitness was in the spotlight after a blockbuster February trade swapped him and Anthony Davis between the Lakers and Mavericks. Reports suggested Dallas had "major concerns" about his shape, especially with a supermax deal extension on the table.
story continues below
Doncic says he heard the noise but tried not to let it distract him. "Honestly, I tried to not read much. Just tried to focus," he said, adding, "I think I was still a pretty good basketball player back then, no matter what people say." After the Lakers' first-round playoff exit, Doncic decided more change was needed. And after the focused summer he's put in, Doncic says, "If I stop now, it was all for nothing."
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
