LA Lakers’ Luka Doncic shows off summer trim in Men’s Health

LOS ANGELES – After much attention was brought to Luka Doncic’s fitness level following his shocking February trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, the five-time All-Star has been putting another surprise together this off-season.

After reports of an improved physique surfaced earlier this summer, a profile in Men’s Health magazine confirmed the extent to which Doncic has gone to develop a slimmed-down look as he prepares for his first full season in Los Angeles.

Doncic, 26, has generally been listed at 1.98m and 104kg, although opinions on the weight have varied. It did not prohibit him from scoring 28.2 points with 8.2 rebounds and 7.7 assists last season.

But reports indicated this past winter that the Dallas Mavericks had become exasperated with his lack of fitness, which might have contributed to a calf injury that the star guard had been rehabilitating for a month before the trade that shocked the NBA.

Ankle, calf, knee and back injuries have slowed Doncic at certain times in his career, although he still managed to play at least 61 games in a season until he was reduced to 50 in 2024-25 with the Mavericks and Lakers combined.

Now, Doncic is visibly slimmer after an improved diet combined with a fitness programme.

He has been avoiding gluten and keeping sugar to a minimum, while loading up on protein to help him get through multiple workouts a day that include lifting weights along with on-court drills.

“Obviously, be the best that I can be, take care of myself,” Doncic said to Men’s Health. “This year, with my team, I think we did a huge step. But this is just the start, you know. I need to keep going. Can’t stop.”

While LeBron James exercised a contract option to return to the Lakers in 2025-26, the team also added centre Deandre Ayton, guard Marcus Smart and forward Jake LaRavia.

The profile did not mention Doncic’s current weight, but photographs showed off his slim look with greater muscle definition in his arms.

His workouts kept him away from basketball at first, then had him return to the court in June. He will play for Slovenia in EuroBasket in August.

“So every summer I try my best to work on different things,” he added. “Obviously, I’m very competitive. This summer was just a little bit different, you know. It kind of motivated me to be even better.”

Meanwhile, the Mavericks are looking at two sites for a new arena and entertainment complex as the team prepare for their first season with Cooper Flagg, the top pick in this year’s NBA draft. 

Both locations are within Dallas city limits and the franchise is aiming to choose one by early 2026, chief executive officer Rick Welts said in an interview.

The Mavericks are planning a development of as much as 16 hectares with hotels, restaurants and public space as they plan their future after their lease at the American Airlines Centre in Dallas expires in 2031. 

“We’re on the clock,” Welts told Bloomberg Television on July 28. “It takes this long to build a project of the magnitude that we’re talking about.”

With the future venue, the Mavericks are seeking to join a trend where franchises across professional sports are betting on new revenue streams in mixed-use developments anchored by stadiums.

Welts said the arena planning is separate from a lobbying push by the family of casino billionaire Miriam Adelson, which holds a majority stake in the team, to legalise gambling resorts in Texas. That effort has been rejected by the state legislature. 

The Mavericks are also working to crack the code of how to develop a direct-to-consumer streaming platform that can replicate the economics of local broadcasters. 

“The regional sports network model is broken,” said Welts, who previously served in leadership roles with the Golden State Warriors as well as the Phoenix Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury.

“We haven’t figured it out yet.” REUTERS, BLOOMBERG