Former Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic, after being part of the trade deal that broke the Internet and the hearts of fans, was not spared of criticism and hate, particularly when it comes to his fitness and overall health. Words were spoken against the Slovenian star, with some reports even alleging that his weight gain played a factor in the Mavs front office ultimately deciding to trade him off. However, for one former five-time NBA All-Star, the “character assassination” on Doncic just feels wrong.
Former Indiana Pacers and former five-time NBA All-Star Reggie Miller recently expressed his honest take on the backlash that Luka Doncic has been getting following his trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, particularly the attacks he is getting about his weight “problems.”
“I was critical of Luka too,” Miller said in an interview. “I felt that he needed to be in better shape, but I don’t like the character assassination on him floating from the Mavericks—and if it’s coming from the Mavericks—about the reason why we traded him. ‘He wasn’t in great shape, his conditioning, he would never get in shape.’
“You don’t become a First Team All-NBA player five times by not being in shape”
With conditioning rumors floating around Luka Dončić, @ReggieMillerTNT chimes in 👀 pic.twitter.com/rSQoMFGN0n
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 6, 2025
Considering what Doncic has done on the court, and what he has continued to show in every Mavs game he has been, it didn’t make sense to Miller how he can be the kind of player that detractors are portraying him as now: lazy, has eating and weight problems, and an overall headache.
“You don’t become a First Team All-NBA player five years in a row if you’re not in shape,” Miller continued. “So please stop the character assassination that this guy is out of shape, he’s lazy. I don’t like that because you don’t get at that level at the age of 25 without doing what he’s done. There are other things behind the scenes that I’m sure we don’t know about, but let’s not make it about conditioning.”
Luka Doncic Lakers Debut Hinted By Head Coach
Since getting traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, Luka Doncic has done photo ops and press appearances, and the Lakers even had social media materials made for him as the newest addition to the team. But he has yet to join in any game.
Coach JJ Redick had an update about the much-awaited debut of their newest star.
“Probably more likely Monday,” Redick said. “No commitment made on anything, but probably trending more toward Monday.”
“All is well. All is positive,” Redick said about Luka Doncic’s recovery and Lakers debut. “Hopefully we get the word at some point in the next few days that he is going to play. We all want to see him in a Laker uniform.”
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
