Luka Doncic seems to be putting in the work this offseason. On Saturday, the LA Lakers superstar went viral after linking up with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, the $3.8B Spanish businessman who runs the soccer and basketball club in the European nation. Doncic, who spent time with Madrid as a pro before his NBA debut, was courtside for the team’s clash against Granada.
The five-time All-Star’s conditioning issues have been well-documented. It was reportedly among the most prominent reasons why the Dallas Mavericks shockingly traded him to the Lakers before the trade deadline. After LA’s surprise exit in the first round of the 2025 playoffs, coach JJ Redick also hinted that a few of his players had to get in championship shape.
While he didn’t pinpoint Doncic, many presumed that the remarks were for him after an underwhelming output in the second halves of the five games the Lakers played against Minnesota.
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However, Doncic's latest pics have sent Lakers fans into a frenzy. Fans "seemingly" believed he had lost weight nearly a month into the
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Lakers' Luka Doncic has reportedly begun to "clean slate" amid conditioning woes
Luka Doncic joined the Lakers while nursing a calf injury. He made his debut after being out of action for nearly two months. Doncic was a shadow of himself until the All-Star break. However, he didn't entirely resolve his conditioning issues.
While dealing with the mental setback of being forced out of Dallas, the situation didn't fully align for Doncic despite him reiterating that he was growing comfortable in LA. Doncic and the Lakers' first offseason ended in disappointment after a first-round exit. However, the Slovenian wasted no time in beginning a clean slate.
According to Lakers coach JJ Redick's podcast producer Jason Gallagher, Doncic's "mindset" is already on changing his routine this offseason.
"I’ve heard from folks that are pretty honest about the conditioning stuff or whatever that Luka has already like begun to clean slate, like starting anew. He’s already like in this mindset of changing a lot about himself. Now, I’ve heard it before, but not from specific people that have been critical of him."
Doncic came close to winning his first championship last year but lost in the NBA Finals to the Celtics. An unexpected trade put him out of contention in a few months, but he should be motivated to prove his doubters wrong and lead the Lakers to a record 18th title. Working on his conditioning is the first of many steps in the right direction, and the team's fanbase will be excited for the next chapter.
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