Even with all the scathing reports that have come out about Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić, his hardest critic may be himself—as corny as it sounds.
Dončić arrived in Los Angeles with a massive chip on his shoulder after his former team, the Dallas Mavericks, vented their reported frustrations with the 25-year-old over his weight and conditioning habits. In his first Lakers presser, Dončić said it was a "big motive" to hear the Mavericks' criticisms and appeared intent to prove them wrong this season.
Well, the All-Star guard wasn't kidding around.
Prior to his Lakers debut against the Utah Jazz on Monday night, Dončić ended his pregame warmups with half-court shots like he did back in Dallas. After missing them all, he immediately got down on the floor and punished himself with a classic, time-tested method: pushups.
Luka had to do pushups during his warmups 🤣
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 11, 2025
📺 Jazz-Lakers | 10:30 ET | ESPN/ESPN+/Disney+ pic.twitter.com/9Qhf3IW1tz
Dončić went on to record a dazzling debut in his team's 132–113 home win over the Jazz, putting up 14 points and adding five rebounds and four assists, one of which was a stunning full-court pass to LeBron James for a layup in the first half.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Luka Doncic Got in Some Extra Conditioning After Messing Up His Pregame Tradition.
