Luka Doncic’s recent body transformation has consumed conversations on social media. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar heard all of the criticism regarding his fitness level to close the 2024-25 NBA season. Instead of letting the hate get to him, he has become hell-bent on proving the naysayers wrong. One of those who publicly criticized Doncic was ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins. But even he has had to eat his words.
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It isn’t a secret that last season was extremely difficult for Doncic. Nobody, including him, had any inkling that the Dallas Mavericks would trade him. Although he tried to focus on the remainder of the season with the Lakers, it was obvious his full attention wasn’t on basketball.
The 6-foot-6 guard seemed a step slow and looked atrocious on defense. Those are not traits that result in winning, so he has focused on getting into the best shape of his life. A recent feature with Men’s Health showcases the tremendous work the Slovenian star has put in since the season ended.
D*** man Nico Harrison really created a monster. Luka Doncic went from fat to the cover of Men’s Health magazine pic.twitter.com/aNDkuPa4nn
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) July 28, 2025
Kendrick Perkins has become one of the most polarizing figures in basketball media. But as quick as he is to critique a player, he will also give credit where credit is due. The work Doncic has put in to developing his new physique has certainly earned a great deal of recognition.
“We ain’t looking at the chubby fat Luka,” Perkins said on Perk Unplugged. “We’re looking at skinny Luka. This man is in shape, and it’s going to be a problem.”
Perkins makes a living by capitalizing on hot-take culture. A lot of people would go silent if comments they made started to age poorly, but Perkins isn’t a lot of people. He stands by his past statements.
“I was one of those ones who disrespected Luka,” Perkins revealed. “Hey, it was valid. He deserved the disrespect for being out of shape, for not sliding those puppies on the defensive side of things.”
Doncic has turned a new leaf, and seemingly so has Perkins. The former NBA champion even has lofty expectations for the new and improved version of Doncic.
“He’s my early pick for MVP. If we saw what we were getting out of a chubby Luka, imagine what we’re about to get out of a d*** skinny Luka,” Perkins proclaimed.
Tallying the stats to be in MVP contention won’t be a problem for Doncic, who has finished in the top five of MVP voting on three different occasions. The difficult part will be leading the Lakers to team success worthy of an MVP.
If anyone is capable of doing it, it’s definitely Doncic. He has all the makings of an MVP winner, including a massive chip on his shoulder.
