Six months ago, the Dallas Mavericks shocked the world by trading away their franchise player Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. 

In the immediate aftermath of the deal, it was revealed that part of Dallas general manager Nico Harrison’s motivation for sending away the five-time All-NBA guard was his perceived lack of conditioning and discipline.

Doncic’s initial run with the ultimately Lakers fell short as they bowed out of the first round of this past postseason. However, he has made the most of his extended offseason, silencing all of those who doubted his commitment to his physical fitness. Doncic has emerged with a textbook ‘revenge body’, appearing on the cover of the latest issue of Men’s Health which featured an article on his new regimen.

The 26-year-old has not looked this trim since his rookie campaign in ‘18-’19 and has made sure that the entire world knows about it. Aside from the magazine cover, he recently made a 96-hour trip to New York City to drum up interest in his latest signature shoe. 

The entire world noticed how much more fit Doncic looked and it will be fascinating to see how this carries over to the basketball court when the new NBA season kicks off this coming October.

After averaging career-high numbers across the board in ‘23-’24, Doncic’s averages took a dip last year–primarily due to a recurring calf injury. As a matter of fact, Doncic was traded while recovering from this injury, leading to the delay of his Los Angeles debut. He was clearly not 100% over his first two months with the Lakers, but with the changes that he has made to his routine this past offseason, he should return to the court better than ever. 

Doncic also just signed a three-year, $165 million extension with Los Angeles that will kick in after next season. This deal solidifies his place as the team’s primary building block as they move past the LeBron James era in the coming years.

The year 2025 has come with a whirlwind of change for Doncic, from his new team to his renewed diet and workout routines. These types of shifts can make or break a person and it speaks volumes of Doncic’s character that he is not only surviving, but thriving amidst this situation. The hope is that with all of this change in 2025, 2026 becomes the year that he finally hoists the Larry O’Brien Trophy.