There has been a narrative circulating for a while now that Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic is often out of shape during NBA seasons. Dating back to his time playing for the Dallas Mavericks, folks have been critical of the Slovenian’s conditioning, with some arguing that it holds him back from maxing out his capabilities as a player.
Former NBA big man and 2008 NBA champion Kendrick Perkins is curious whether Doncic’s conditioning issues have anything to do with his relationship with former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban. Perkins cited Cuban’s penchant for catering to his players when making his case.
“Can we put a little blame on the Dallas Mavericks?” Perkins asked in reference to Doncic’s conditioning. “Hold on, hold on — hear me out real quick. Mark Cuban is one of the — when it comes down to players, I don’t know any owner that has special relationships or cater to players more than Mark Cuban. Am I wrong or am I right?”
Podcast co-host Richard Jefferson indicated that he believes Doncic should be held accountable for his own conditioning, and Perkins responded.
“I know, R.J.,” Perkins said. “But just hear me out, just hear me out. Luka has been pacified, you know what I’m saying, since he got to the Dallas Mavericks. He came there. He put up big numbers. Mark Cuban has a history of pacifying players, right, catering to them in a different way. It’s facts.
“He could have got spoiled, and all of a sudden, they sell the team, new ownership group, Nico Harrison. They like, ‘F— this.’
“I don’t even wanna go down that hole. I’m just saying. I’m just throwing it out there.”
For as much as some pundits like to criticize Doncic for his weight, regardless of how one feels about his physical condition, there’s no denying that he’s an elite player. A Doncic who plenty of people felt was out of shape averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game across 50 contests with the Mavericks and Lakers in the 2024-25 regular season.
After Doncic got traded from the Mavericks to L.A. (and talks about his physical condition were at their peak), someone who knows what it takes to star at the highest level slammed the narrative that Doncic is out of shape. Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade argued that Doncic wouldn’t be able to play at the level he does if he were actually out of shape.
Not only does Doncic put up offensive numbers that rival those of any player in the league, but he almost led the Mavericks to a championship not long ago. Dallas reached the 2024 NBA Finals with him as its best player, and Doncic has proven that he’s more than capable of leading his teams to great collective success.
It’s possible that Cuban catered to Doncic when the former was the majority owner of the Mavericks, but it also seems as if the five-time All-Star’s conditioning might be less of a problem than some folks make it out to be.