During the Cold War, President Ronald Reagan borrowed a phrase from Russia: “Trust but verify.” It seemed a bit weird, but the meaning mattered. And in an era where engagement farming often dictates what passes as news, that principle still holds. Though unfortunately, some Lakers fans appear more willing to trust random Twitter pages than verify anything at all.
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After last season’s remarks about his fitness, which were followed by his shocking trade from the Dallas Mavericks to the LA Lakers, Doncic showed up for the 2025-26 off-season having dropped about 30 lbs. That transformation even got him featured on the cover of Men’s Health.
The weight loss has also shown up in his game, as Doncic went on an incredible run at EuroBasket and has been crucial to the Lakers looking like a serious team this season. Unfortunately, that goodwill came crashing down with a loss to the Houston Rockets on Christmas Day.
After the game, a Twitter account named Lucro, who claims to “know ball” in their bio, posted an old photo of Doncic in his former glory from last season and claimed that the Slovenian star’s fitness had once again gone for a toss.
This post was in response to a Bleacher Report tweet about Doncic’s Lakers teammate, Deandre Ayton, inviting everyone to his home for a massive Jamaican holiday feast prepared by his mother. Where is the connection?
“Ayton’s mom ruined the season man. Luka been eating Jamaican & everything else look at him yesterday,” Lucro wrote in the caption.
Some fans quickly jumped on the bandwagon, claiming that Doncic had gone back to being a big boy in less than a season. “Wtf man ‘Skinny Luka’ didn’t even last half a season,” said one.
Wtf man “Skinny Luka” didn’t even last half a season
— Reggie (@imreggiedejesus) December 27, 2025
“Bro got the jerk chicken glow. It’s so over,” said another. This guy even cooked up an entire story to go with, saying, “Been saying this for 2 weeks. He’s getting slower and gaining weight. He looks like he can barely move out there.”
Thankfully, not everybody was functioning on a couple of brain cells. So they pointed out the obvious. “This isn’t from this year,” said a fan. Another was more than happy to call out the nonsense.
“Bro really used a picture from last year what a goof ball,” he added. Another man, however, brought out the receipts to go with it.
“This was last season, they paid tribute to Jerry West with that No. 44 patch on their jerseys,” he was happy to remind the rest.
Well, there you go. It’s the internet, fellas. There are guys on here who still think the Earth is flat and global warming is something Al Gore came up with. So, trust but verify!
