Lakers' Luka Doncic Took 1-Month Break from Basketball to Focus on Fitness Training

Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic turned heads this offseason with his physical transformation, and he revealed some details about his quest to get in better shape over the summer.

While speaking to Jason Gay of the Wall Street Journal, Doncic pointed to a month-long break from basketball as his biggest adjustment this offseason.

"For the first time, I stopped playing basketball for a month," Doncic told Gay, adding that it made him feel "as if he was deprived of oxygen."

Rather than working on his jumper and other facets of his game, Doncic focused on fitness training and maintaining a healthy diet.

"Out went the jump shots," Gay wrote. "In came the resistance bands, dead lifts, dumbbells and agility drills, plus a private chef who got a sweet break from 8 p.m. until noon the next day, as Doncic intermittently fasted."

In Doncic's own words, his summer routine came down to "Pure training and fitness. And padel tennis."

Doncic's conditioning has been a main source of criticism for quite some time, and Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison indicated that his fitness level factored into the decision to trade him to the Lakers during the 2024-25 season.

It appears that Doncic is ready to silence his doubters following his offseason work. If he can stay healthy and in shape throughout the 2025-26 campaign, the Lakers will have a strong chance to be one of the top title contenders in the competitive Western Conference.