Luka Doncic addresses weight-gain chatter: 'I’m not in my best shape'
Luka Doncic enters his third NBA season a slight favorite over Giannis Antetokounmpo to win his first MVP award.
He also enters the season apparently a bit heavier than last time we saw him — which was just in August when he was torching the NBA bubble. The Dallas Mavericks star made a pair of recent preseason appearances against the Milwaukee Bucks that garnered some not-so-flattering attention on social media.
Fat Luka 🔥🔥🔥🔥 https://t.co/jBGzAv85ad
— Lightskin Jimmy Butler (@callmehuie) December 13, 2020
luka out here bulking https://t.co/ZyXOd1x2WN
— toplevel ricky capalot (@oralplane) December 14, 2020
Luka Doncic addresses critics
Doncic has heard the chatter. And he addressed it after Monday’s game against the Bucks. He admitted that he wasn’t yet in game shape.
“I mean, people on Twitter say every stuff,” Doncic told the Dallas Morning News’ Brad Townsend. “But it’s true I’m not in my best shape. I will get there for sure. But, you know, I’ve never been a muscular guy, so what can I say?”
Townsend noted that Doncic laughed as he answered. So it appears that he’s taking the criticism in stride. As he should.
Doncic is a basketball prodigy, a transcendent 21-year-old MVP favorite playing the game like nobody before him has. Two seasons into his NBA career, he’s already assaulting the NBA record book. Twitter trolls talking extra pounds in December should land at the bottom of Doncic’s list of concerns — especially when he’s dropping 27 points, eight rebounds and four assists in 29 minutes.
Doncic — like everybody else from the NBA bubble — had a ridiculously short offseason amid a pandemic that’s seen more than just a few of us pack on some extra pounds.
It’s fair to cut him some slack if he’s not in prime shape to start the preseason.
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