Among the many reasons that the Dallas Mavericks made the fateful decision to trade megastar Luka Doncic was his seeming inability to lose weight. So when Doncic did a magazine cover shoot looking much slimmer, everyone was stunned – including one Lakers legend.
Taking to X earlier this week, Lakers icon Magic Johnson shared the photos of Doncic’s incredible shoot with Men’s Health and stated how impressed he is by the work Luka has done. He believes it’s a sign that Doncic is more determined than ever to win an NBA title.
“I love how Luka is showing his Laker teammates how serious he is about winning a championship in Los Angeles by transforming his body!” Magic wrote.
I love how Luka is showing his Laker teammates how serious he is about winning a championship in Los Angeles by transforming his body! pic.twitter.com/e0qgCdthmJ
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) July 29, 2025
NBA fans were far less impressed than Magic was though. Many took to the comments and pointed out that Luka shouldn’t be praised for doing something he should have been doing to begin with:
“Let’s see if he shows them all season long…that’s always been the issue with Luka,” one user replied.
“A pro athlete being in top shape is now praised. Man we fell a lot,” another wrote.
“The 5-game 1st round PO exit this year gave him an extra 6 weeks to work out. He has had an off season team for 3 years now and the last time he showed up close to this shape he averaged 34-10-9 and went the to Finals,” a third wrote.
Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
On February 2, the Lakers pulled off one of the biggest blockbuster trades in NBA history, acquiring Doncic from the Mavericks in exchange for Anthony Davis and other compensation.
Dallas were quickly raked over the coals for giving up on one of the world’s brightest basketball stars in exchange for relatively nothing. Ironically, Dallas didn’t even suffer serious consequences from it as they went on to secure the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and secured a potential franchise superstar in Cooper Flagg.
As for the Lakers, they won their division and finished third in the Western Conference but wound up losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Related: Magic Johnson Takes Shot At Luka Doncic After Trade To Lakers