Los Angeles Lakers royalty Magic Johnson is thrilled with Luka Doncic’s body transformation and the Slovenian’s determination to win an NBA title.
While reacting to photos of Doncic’s new physique, Johnson wrote on X: “I love how Luka is showing his Laker teammates how serious he is about winning a championship in Los Angeles by transforming his body!”
Many other NBA analysts and former players praised Doncic’s commitment to remaking his body, a process he began by altering his diet and training methods. The Atlantic’s Jemele Hill went as far as to suggest that the Mavericks awoke a beast within Doncic by losing faith in his ability to stay in shape and trading him to the Lakers.
Backtracking on Earlier Comments
Johnson’s praise of Doncic marks a u-turn from his earlier comments on the Slovenian superstar. During an episode of ESPN’s “Get Up” in June, the five-time NBA champion put Doncic on blast, urging him to get in shape and represent the Lakers properly.
“Luka, it’s great what you did in Dallas, but the difference is in Los Angeles, we expect championships,” Johnson said. “And we expect our superstars to lead us to a championship. LeBron has already did that, now we want Luka to do the same thing.”
During the same round of media appearances, Johnson expressed his dissatisfaction that Doncic needed reminders to maintain his fitness, which should have been a standard requirement.
“We shouldn’t have to tell you to be in shape,” Johnson told ESPN’s “First Take” while addressing Doncic. “You should have been about that, especially since you’re a superstar.”
Luka Doncic 2.0. Wows NBA Execs
Doncic’s body transformation evoked a lot of positive reactions from NBA executives, too. One southwestern executive told Heavy Sports’ Steve Bulpett that he initially thought Doncic’s Men’s Health photo spread was AI-generated or doctored.
“I give him a lot of credit for putting in the work,” he said of Doncic.
“You can also look at it like, why did it take him seven years in the league to realize he needed to do something like this? But he’s here now, and it changes how you have to look at (the Lakers) maybe not so much this year, because they’re still going to have some roster issues, but definitely long-term. Everybody’s been thinking LA made the move for Luka because they want him to take over for LeBron and have it be his team for the longer term. Now if Luka’s going to be in shape, it’s easier to see that coming true.”
One NBA coach felt teams around the league “should be very terrified” by the new-and-improved Doncic.
“He was putting up big numbers (28.6 ppg/career) when he was a chunk,” said the coach. “But I would be terrified. That guy in shape? That’s scary. I saw those pictures. That’s scary. Luka not in shape was amazing. Now? I think it’s going to be frightening for the rest of the league.”
Doncic is among the leading betting favorites to win his first MVP award in the 2025-26 season.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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