“What can I say? I’ve never been a muscular guy.” That was Luka Doncic casually flicking off a weight gain comment weighing heavily on him in a post-match conference. It was back in 2021 and the subtle deflection of the hurled criticism showed the world ‘the classic Luka style’. He is not the prim and proper guy who can be messed up with, always making headlines for letting loose his fiery on-court exchanges which often end up looping in the rival fan groups too! However, this time, his casual shrug-offs might not work as his weight gain unexpectedly makes a comeback and the fans are not willing to let it slide past without pouring in a reaction or two.

 The comeback Luka Doncic didn’t want, as fans blast weight concerns and mock him, despite NBA Finals run

The superstar has kept his cool in the face of harsh criticism. During the national TNT telecast of his team’s 102-99 home loss to the Brooklyn Nets back in 2021, he had even openly acknowledged a weight and conditioning issue. “People are going to talk about it, yes or no,” he said after scoring 28 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists. “I know I’ve got to do better. I had a long summer. I had the Olympics, took three weeks off, and I relaxed a little bit. Maybe too much. I’ve just got to get back on track.”

That time Reggie Miller had also expressed concerns regarding his “plodding up and down the court” and had called out Luka Doncic stating that he “has got to trim down.”

With Damian Lillard‘s intense workout sessions with the Ex-SEAL creating a buzz and Jaylen Brown‘s insane underwater headstand flaunting his innovative workout tweak, Luka Doncic coming from the offseason with a visible weight increase doesn’t sound promising at all! As a 2x first-team All-NBA selection, who at 25, is averaging an impressive 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists and remains an MVP-level player, the Mavericks certainly have a heap of expectations from the star hooper.

Most analysts were quick to blame Luka’s poor defensive tactics for the Mavs loss in the finals against the Celtics, as Doncic was fouled out of Game 3 when Dallas was down 93-90. His defense has surely given him a pain in the neck, but offensively, Luka has a proven record of being a true sensation!

There are also talks of the Lakers being interested in placing their long-lost hope in Luka Doncic while LeBron James‘ career nears the end. When in shape, he can always be trusted and everyone’s in awe of his A-game. NBA fans have a lot to watch out for once he’s back on track!

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.