“Always looked up to him”: Lakers coach suggests Luka Doncic’s massive body transformation was inspired by LeBron James 

The LA Lakers enter the new season with big expectations, as Luka Doncic and LeBron James prepare for their first full campaign together. Still, much of the buzz has centered on Doncic’s physical transformation, which assistant coach Greg St. Jean suggests was influenced by LeBron himself.

In an interview with Basketnews.com, St. Jean, who is currently with Doncic and Slovenia at the EuroBasket, shared his thoughts on the guard’s impressive transformation:

“You know what? I always find this, iron sharpens iron. You can’t help but be motivated to continue to get better at your craft. I think Luka’s learned a little bit from every great player he’s been around. And I know he’s always looked up to LeBron.”

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Continuing on the duo, the Lakers coach noted it was a two-way street, with both stars pushing and motivating one another:

"I think having those two together is obviously motivating. I think it's two-way motivating as well. I don't think it's just a one-way street. I think LeBron, you can see, is working really hard as well. He's up at 5 a.m., and he's working on his body as well."

Luka Doncic has made a significant shift this offseason and has focused on his fitness, which was a huge issue in recent seasons. According to multiple reports, the guard has lost more than 31 lbs (14 kg), as he hopes to win his first-ever NBA title this season.

The Lakers made major offseason moves to build the right support system around Doncic. With Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia joining the roster, LA has assembled a strong core, while James continues to provide his leadership and experience to the squad.

Luka Doncic shares thoughts on becoming face of Lakers with LeBron James entering twilight of career

The LA Lakers have started shifting their focus beyond the LeBron James era, with the four-time champion nearing the twilight of his career. As he enters his 23rd NBA season and the final year of his contract, LA is grooming Doncic to become the face of the franchise, shaping the roster to complement his style of play.

During an interview with Complex on Saturday, Doncic offered his thoughts on replacing LeBron as the face of the organization.

"Honestly, nothing specific,” Doncic said. “Be the best that I can be and at the end of the day, I’m playing basketball. I wanna win. That’s it. That’s our goal from the start to finish of the season.

Signing a three-year $165 million extension in August, Doncic is set to stay in Los Angeles for the coming years and will be the face of the Lakers after LeBron's exit.

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About the author

Arian Kashyap

Arian Kashyap is a basketball journalist at Sportskeeda with over two years of experience at Essentially Sports and Spice Bite and a Bachelor's in Physical Education and Sports Sciences.

Arian's favorite team is the Miami Heat and it’s mainly down to Dwyane Wade being his favorite player of all time. Arian loved how explosive Wade was as a player and he had all the attributes, whether that be shooting, defending or passing. Arian really liked how he won titles both with and without a dynasty behind him.

Arian has also worked with Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools and was the manager for a Delhi-based women’s team called Garwhal Untied. Garwhal won the Delhi league and were runners-up during his tenure.

Arian has judged essay writing competitions for the Commonwealth Students Welfare Group of India in 2023 and was a part of the U-14 team for the Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools academy that qualified for the AIFF Round in 2023.

When not working or watching sports, Arian likes riding his motorcycle and reading.

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