Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic committed to a new diet and the results are staggering.
A skinny Doncic is the talk of the NBA this summer.
So, how much weight did he really lose?
According to Slovenian Pop TV, Doncic lost 31 lbs. since the Lakers’ season ended at the end of April. Doncic has shed an average of over 10 lbs. per month.
In a magazine cover interview for Men’s Health, Doncic revealed that he’s doing 16 hours of intermittent fasting six days a week since the season ended.
This offseason, every day but Sunday, Doncic fasts from 8:30 PM to 12 noon the following day. That’s 16 hours with nary a calorie, with the first workout of each day performed at the end of the fasting window.
As part of his new diet, Doncic consumes only a gluten-free, low-sugar diet, including “at least 250 grams of protein and one almond milk–fueled shake a day.”
Doncic has also incorporated plant-based foods into his new diet. He took a month off from playing basketball, which he admitted was hard at first, to give his mind and body the much-needed time to recover.
His offseason regimen will continue into the season, Doncic said, which leads him to believe he will be much better than the out-of-shape version of himself who averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists in 28 games for the Lakers last season.
“I would just say a little bit of everything,” Doncic told reporters on what a skinny version of himself will bring to the Lakers next season. “Obviously, a little bit faster. But I don’t know, just trying to help the team condition-wise. Obviously, playing a lot of minutes, a lot of games, so I think that’s going to be the best for me.”
Skinny Luka is ‘Gonna be a Problem’
Part of the reason the Dallas Mavericks traded Doncic was his poor conditioning and lifestyle, which led them to believe his body would not hold up to the rigors of the NBA, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported in February, after a series of calf injuries.
The five-time All-NBA guard took that to heart and made it a mission this offseason to prove them wrong.
The skinny version of Doncic is a strong MVP favorite next season, according to ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins.
“It’s gonna be a problem this year for the rest of the league,” Perkins said on the ‘Road Trippin’ podcast on July 29. “I believe Luka Doncic took the disrespect into the offseason, and I applaud it.”
“If you’re a Laker fan, you ought to be excited to see your new franchise player putting in that work,” he said. “Luka, the first step of winning the Laker franchise and fanbase over—you have done it. By the way, he’s my early pick for MVP.”
Marcus Smart Boosts Lakers’ Defense
While Doncic also said he will play faster next season with his slimmed-down body, he also pointed to former NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart‘s addition to the Lakers as a vital part of his transformational journey.
“I think [I will play defense] way better,” Doncic told reporters after signing a three-year, $165 million extension with the Lakers. “You got Marcus, so he’s going to teach me some things. But that’s going to help a lot.”
Doncic was the Lakers’ weakest link on defense in their playoff demise last season.
With his vastly improved conditioning, Doncic will never be as slow-footed and as atrocious as he was in the playoffs last season.
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