Los Angeles Lakers training camp is underway for the 2025-26 season, and all eyes are on Luka Doncic in his first full season with the team. Doncic was traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers in one of the most stunning NBA swaps of all-time late last season, and then he had to listen to his former organization drag his name through the mud for months by questioning his fitness and professionalism.
Doncic is ready to show Nico Harrison how wrong he was for trading him, and he’s spent the offseason showing off his new slimmer physique. Yet when the Lakers reported for media day earlier this week, Doncic was actually listed at 14 pounds heavier than he was entering last season.
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Doncic is listed at 6’7, 244 pounds by the Lakers right now. A year ago, the Mavericks listed Luka at 230 pounds entering training camp. What gives? Here’s the 2024 Mavs training camp roster and 2025 Lakers camp roster side-by-side.
There are plenty of pictures floating around online that show just how much fitter Doncic is now than when Dallas traded him. So why is he listed at 14 pounds heavier than last year?
The Mavericks were lying about Luka’s weight last year
This is the easiest explanation for how Luka gained 14 pounds over the last year.
Back in 2021, ESPN’s Tim McMahon reported that Dallas was already lying about Doncic’s weight. “Sources told ESPN that Doncic reported to training camp weighing more than 260 pounds for the second consecutive year. His listed weight is 230 pounds.” It’s possible that 260 pounds may have been on the lighter side, especially as Doncic dealt with a calf strain that limited his conditioning last season and kept him out of the lineup for about six weeks before the trade.
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Harrison had such low tolerance for Luka’s poor conditioning and party habits that it’s surprising the Mavericks didn’t just list his real weight as a way to motivate him. At this point, though, it’s a lock that Dallas was covering for Luka while he played himself into shape for multiple years.
Here’s what Doncic looked like on media day one year ago:
And here’s what he looks like now:
Doncic is fitter and happier in LA it sure seems. Will he be more productive? Luka carried an underdog Mavericks team to the 2024 NBA Finals, and he will need to be even more brilliant this year if the Lakers are going to make a run in the Western Conference. Doncic is one of the preseason favorites for MVP right now, but that has been the case for several seasons, and he’s never won the award.
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LeBron James might still be on the Lakers, but for the first time in his career, he feels like a sidekick. The Lakers are Luka’s team, and they will only go as far as he can carry them. A 244-pound Doncic should be a great thing for Los Angeles. For once, everyone is being open and honest about his weight, which is something he’s always used to his advantage. With Zion Williamson also looking slim this season, there will be an added spotlight on how the two stars perform now that they’re in better shape.
This is the biggest test yet in Luka’s career. The Mavs are going to be just fine without him now that they have Cooper Flagg. It’s on Doncic to prove his “revenge body” isn’t just a PR push — it’s something that can actually help make him contend for being the best player in the world.