Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic quit basketball for a month; the reason will surprise you

Luka Dončić is set to enter the upcoming NBA season after a rapid transformation. The Los Angeles Lakers player is looking considerably leaner these days. However, his physical transformation was the result of something unthinkable- Doncic had to quit basketball for a month. The Slovenian basketball player made the revelation in a recent chat with Men’s Health.

In 2025, a calf injury sidelined him in January. Then, Doncic was traded to the Lakers in February this year.  Rumors about his fitness levels began to intensify soon after. The 26-year-old underwent a series of medical evaluations in May, which proved that he was completely healthy. His training team, led by Dr. Ana Maria Barrio, told him to avoid the basketball court for a month in the offseason.

The aim was to ensure Doncic got a break from the court. At first, the shift was difficult, Luka Doncic admitted. He told Men’s Health, “I can’t be without basketball. But when I was a little kid, I played a lot of sports.” He focused on other sports and soon found a distraction with pickleball and padel. Doncic also focused on a weight routine that helped him increase his upper-body strength.

Barrio told the news outlet that Doncic’s break from the court has created a difference this summer. “He’s really happy,” she said. “There were a lot of angry moments, too, when we would lose,” he explained while talking about his offseason exploits. “But I didn’t lose much.”