Luka Doncic's Change in Physical Appearance Over Last Six Months With Lakers Draws Attention

Luka Doncic's Change in Physical Appearance Over Last Six Months With Lakers Draws Attention originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Luka Doncic may have told the media on Saturday that he knew shortly after being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers that he planned to re-sign with them, but it didn't always seem that way.

The 26-year-old five-time All-NBA selection whom the Lakers traded for in February in a package centered around 10-time NBA All-Star Anthony Davis, officially signed a three-year extension with the team on Saturday. However, back in April, he admitted to ESPN's Malika Andrews that he was initially devastated upon learning that the team he spent the first 6.5 years of his career with traded him.

"I felt like my heart was broken, honestly," Doncic said.

Luka Doncic Displays Brighter Demeanor and Better Physique at Press Conference for Contract Extension

Fast-forward to August, and Doncic appears to be in much better shape and loving the fact he is a Laker, which is something fans noticed at his press conference.

a difference six months can make pic.twitter.com/RuE2qkzyRp

— 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝕞𝕒𝕟𝕠 〰️ (@MANOMAGlC) August 2, 2025

"Damn literally night and Day Lol," wrote one fan.

"the posture OOO LALALA," added a second.

"Look how sad he was man," commented another.

"Glad he got a smile on his face," said one fan.

"Bro got his joy back lol," chimed in another.

Luka Doncic's Physical Transformation

According to ESPN, Dallas was dealing with "significant frustration" when it came to Doncic's diet and his conditioning. Doncic weighed as much as 260 pounds this past season and played a career-low 50 regular-season games as a result of multiple calf injuries.

With Dallas essentially publicly shaming Doncic about his weight and dedication, the now-Lakers star has transformed his body this offseason. Something that the NBA world learned over the past few days as he graced the cover of Men's Health.

Our digital cover star, Luka Doncic, ready to take his game (and the Lakers) to new levels of dominance. And this summer shred has been years in the making.https://t.co/aB19DY7rrLpic.twitter.com/bjVsf1ampI

— Men's Health Mag (@MensHealthMag) July 28, 2025

 In the feature, it was revealed that not only did Doncic give up basketball for a month to recover, but he also has gone on a gluten-free, low-sugar diet.

“Just visually, I would say my whole body looks better,” Doncic told Men's Health.

What This Means for Doncic and the Lakers

Now that Doncic has his revenge body locked and loaded for the next NBA season, and the Lakers made a handful of key additions like Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton, he is ready to "win now." Something ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported earlier this week.

"I spoke to someone close to Luka over the weekend and they told me that Luka's mentality is win now," McMenamin said.

While fans and Doncic himself are expecting a huge season, the oddsmakers at ESPN Bet also foresee a big season ahead for Doncic. As of Saturday, Doncic has the third-best odds (+500) to win NBA MVP, trailing only Nikola Jokic (+225) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+240).

Trading Doncic may have been the right move for Dallas, but it also may have awoken something in Doncic that can end up punishing NBA foes for years to come.

Related: LeBron James' Absence From Luka Doncic's Contract Announcement Sparks Buzz

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 2, 2025, where it first appeared.