Talks surrounding Luka Doncic’s fitness — or rather lack of it — has dominated NBA media this season. The Slovenian sensation’s weight, which is at 230 lbs, and drinking tendencies has been a topic of discussion after he was shipped from Dallas to the Los Angeles Lakers. Luka looked healthy during his short stint with LA this season but clearly wasn’t at his athletic peak.
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When JJ Redick demanded his team be in championship shape after a disappointing first-round playoff exit, most believed his comment was directed at Doncic. But as Shannon Sharpe pointed out on a recent episode of Nightcap, the five-time All-Star looked noticeably slimmer in his most recent public appearance at Real Madrid’s basketball game.
Doncic definitely looked a bit chunky at times this season, and injuries didn’t help his cause. But it seems a healthy offseason is already doing wonders for Luka. To Sharpe’s cohosts, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and guest Jermaine O’Neal, though, the Instagram photos looked too good to be true. “You think that’s AI?” Ocho questioned.
“That’s what I was about to ask,” Jermaine O’Neal, who joined the show as a special guest, replied with a laugh. “There’s no way. Hell, if he lost that weight that fast, why he ain’t doing it during the season?”
Are weight loss drugs behind Luka’s transformation?
Ocho thought if it wasn’t AI, maybe there was another reason for Luka’s sudden slimdown. “Hey, hey, Unc, hey. You think [Luka] took that Olympic?” Ocho asked Sharpe, wondering if the Lakers star had been using the popular diabetes-turned-weight-loss drug, Ozempic.
O’Neal couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought. But Sharpe didn’t believe Doncic would, or even could, be prescribed that type of drug. “I don’t think you can take that as an NBA player,” the Broncos great said.
Unimpressed by the seventh-year guard’s transformation, Sharpe doesn’t want to see what Luka looks like in the offseason. The Hall of Fame tight end only cares how Luka looks when the season rolls around.
“I don’t care what he look like right now,” Sharpe said of Doncic. “I’m talking about when he come back to play. I want him to look like this when he come back to play.” Considering how quickly the star guard was able to lose weight, he could just as he easily put it back on if he doesn’t have a diligent offseason.
Luka should be more comfortable in his first full season with the Lakers and will likely take his championship aspirations even more seriously as a result. He nearly led the Mavericks to their second-ever championship just two seasons ago.
If he and LeBron James are both healthy and in pristine physical shape, Luka could make his way to a title next season.
