The Los Angeles Lakers star looks to have significantly slimmed down.
Luka Doncic made an appearance at a Real Madrid game over the weekend and looked noticeably thinner than he was when the Lakers season ended just last month.
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It was clear that Doncic was not in playing shape when the Dallas Mavericks traded him out of town in early February to the Lakers.
The 26-year-old star was never quite able to play himself into shape during his first few months with the Lakers.
After their disappointing exit in the first round of the playoffs, head coach JJ Redick not so subtly hinted at his star needed to get into shape this offseason.
“I’ll start with the offseason and the work that’s required in an offseason to be in championship shape and we have a ways to go as a roster,” Redick said at his end-of-the-season press conference.
“And certainly there were individuals that were in phenomenal shape. There’s certainly other ones that could have been in better shape.
“It’s where my mind goes immediately is we have to get in championship shape.”
No one will tell you that Doncic was in championship shape last season. It was quite the opposite.
And when you are playing next to a 40-year-old LeBron James who remains in peak shape and has super human conditioning, it’s an embarrassing look for Doncic.
He looked slow and lethargic as he labored up and down the court.
It seems Doncic has taken what Redick said to heart.
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At least if the photos and videos over the weekend are to be believed.
However, two members of the sports media world, who remain in ridiculous shape, are skeptical of Doncic’s weight loss.
Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson, along with Jermaine O’Neal discussed Doncic’s body transformation on Nightcap.
“I don’t care what he looks like right now,” Sharpe said.
“I’m talking about when he comes back to play. I want him to look like this when he comes back to play.”
Sharpe doesn’t care that Doncic looks good right now in the offseason, but he did give him some credit.
“He looks good, but again, I don’t worry about what he looks like right now.
“He ain’t got to play for 4-5 months. I want to see what he looks like when he comes back.”
Johnson joked around and took it even a step further, playfully suggest Doncic was on a certain weight-loss drug.
“You can’t take that as an NBA player, right?” Johnson asked.
“How many weeks have they been out of the season? It ain’t been that long for him to lose all that weight like that.
“I’m telling you he probably took that Ozempic stuff. I’m telling you.”
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The six-time All-Star O’Neal offered up another theory.
“When I’ve seen him play with his national team, he always looks thinner,” O’Neal said.
“Then he comes back to the United States, and he’s eating yeast rolls and pasta.”
Whatever the case may be, Doncic looks great right now.
But like Sharpe said, if he doesn’t look great come the fall and when the season begins, then what’s the point?
