Luka Doncic got himself in very good shape this offseason as he geared up to sign a contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers and represent Slovenia in EuroBasket 25. Ahead of the national team's exhibition against Germany on Friday, Doncic spoke to the media and revealed that the secret to the new, fitter Luka.
Turns out, it's time off. Via Dallas Hoops Journal:
“I get this question all the time. I think I was a good player before, too,” he said. “What drove me? Basically, we made a slightly different training plan. Well, I had a little more time. Last summer was really tiring. I played until June, then the national team, so there was no energy. This year I had more time.”
In 2024 Doncic took the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals, playing 92 games between the regular season and postseason. Then, Doncic joined the Slovenian national team to prepare for Olympic qualifying games. By the time the 2024-2025 NBA season started he had played himself into the kind of shape that had his GM looking to trade him.
While it's great that Doncic's new training regimen includes a new diet and more cardio, he also made sure to again point out, “I think I was a good player before too.”
That's something to think about when you're criticizing someone who averaged 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists during the first season he didn't make an All-NBA team since his Rookie of the Year season in 2019.
Someone needs to tell Luka the basketball player on the inside is beautiful too.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Luka Doncic Reveals the Key to His Physical Transformation.