This was Luka at the beginning of the season

[MassimoPayne]

Do you guys think Luka looks fat because he takes cortisone or something for his pain? this normally makes you look bloated.
there is no way he gains weight so fast while playing so much basketball.

[holdenwait]

he's defo got the chubby cheeks/face genetics. but yeah he seems to fluctuate quite a bit during the season. only 25 and if weight is a slight problem already, it's a little bit worrisome.

[TinmanZBoy]

I think his injury played a part of it… maybe on some steroids therapy which can increase your fat dramatically…when you are injured, you might not be able to do a lot of weight that hurts your knee

[GeorgeSears]

NBA starters who play over 30 minutes burn around 1500 calories per game. So do the math and you'll find out how much Luka's consuming when he's not playing to maintain his current form (hint: It's a lot).

[CoP]

Anyone who has been a pro, semi-pro, or D1 athlete can tell you that sometimes when you're working out that much, you feel like you can eat and drink anything and it doesn't matter. Of course it does. That combined with whatever steroids he might be taking for his knee, and it doesn't take much.

[Sgt Major]

He wore a shirt saying "All I need is suvo meso and rakija" last season.

"Suvo meso" means "dried meat" and includes bacon, dry sausages, dry-cured ham etc. Rakija is Balkan moonshine made of fruit, the best drink on the planet.

Looks like he strictly follows that diet.

[famicommander]

He's lazy, selfish, immature, and stupid. This is not news, it happens every year.

[Texas Chuck]

He's lazy, selfish, immature, and stupid.

This take might be those things, but what an absurd characterization of a human you don't know because he's not chiseled.

Luka is among the league leaders in mpg while being highly productive. And people want to assault his character because they think six pack equals conditioning....

Fun fact: Dallas had a skinny PG who looked in shape. His name was Steve Nash. And every year in the playoffs he ran out of gas and made Mike Bibby look like Steph Curry. He partied too much, he drank too much, he didn't take care of his body until he left for Phoenix.

But because he looked in shape there wasn't this outcry. Luka who has come up big in the playoffs every year prior to this one--where the issue is he's injured not fat---him we trash because we are lazy(well also jealousy or we are fans of another player and think trashing Luka helps or whatever agenda they are on).

hur dur fat, he sucks. he's selfish(for playing hurt). he's stupid despite clearly being one of the smartest basketball mind's in the league.

[og15]

a big part of it is genetics i think. just like there are some guys that can never seem to put on muscle, you have guys like luka, zion and jokic that will always struggle to keep weight off. in the off season those guys can focus on keeping their weight down but in season they're more focused on their game and maintaining their bodies, which is usually more about rest/strengthening than dropping weight.

i myself have wide hips and wide shoulders and struggle to keep weight off. it helps when you want to build muscle/strength but yeah you have to actively be trying to drop weight to lose any.

What struggle is Jokic having? The man has essentially been skinny for like 3+ years now, not sure what he's supposed to be struggling with and why he's being lumped in with Zion and Luka.

Also, no, it's not simply about physical genetics. Genetics play a factor in that it can be harder or easier, but there's no impossible here, and a lot of it is about discipline. You can probably argue that it's about mental genetics and the wiring of the brain as it relates to food more than physical, but it's not simply that either.

Do you guys think Luka looks fat because he takes cortisone or something for his pain? this normally makes you look bloated.
there is no way he gains weight so fast while playing so much basketball.

Gaining weight even with heavy exercise is not that hard if you consume enough calories, especially liquid calories.

[Yuri36]

Read on Twitter

Luka now



How do you gain so much weight during a season of NBA basketball? Something ain't right.

And still it was not like he was fit like a true NBA point guard should be.
So yeah imagine now...

[TinmanZBoy]

Read on Twitter

Luka now



How do you gain so much weight during a season of NBA basketball? Something ain't right.

And still it was not like he was fit like a true NBA point guard should be.
So yeah imagine now...

People have different body types, Joker looks chubby but he is the most durable big in the league bar none…. As long as they function well with their bodies, that’s all it matters

[Woodsanity]

a big part of it is genetics i think. just like there are some guys that can never seem to put on muscle, you have guys like luka, zion and jokic that will always struggle to keep weight off. in the off season those guys can focus on keeping their weight down but in season they're more focused on their game and maintaining their bodies, which is usually more about rest/strengthening than dropping weight.

i myself have wide hips and wide shoulders and struggle to keep weight off. it helps when you want to build muscle/strength but yeah you have to actively be trying to drop weight to lose any.

Jokic hasn't been fat for a while and is one of the best conditioned nba players.

In terms of effort for conditioning Jokic is like a 9 or 10, Luka a 3 or 4 and Zion a 1 or 2....

[Ducklett]

Raising canes is the most overrated chain in history. Change my mind.

[The Servant]

Probably drinks a lot of soda and eats a lot of fast food and snacks every day

But why work so hard in the offseason to get in shape just to piss it away? He is throwing away his legacy.

And this guy is going to be eligible to sign a 5 year extension next year worth over 70 million dollars per season. Mavs fans have a right to complain for that amount of money.

Even though you say it's a waste, if that guy wasn't slimming down in the off season he'd look like Zion.

[KembaWalker]

Raising canes is the most overrated chain in history. Change my mind.

I used to say zaxbys was way better than canes but damn they fell off hard in the last few years. Both are pretty mediocre now tbh

[kacey ring]

Raising canes is the most overrated chain in history. Change my mind.

You on that Chick Fil-A train? Or more of a Zaxbys or Popeyes or Slim Chickens type?

[kacey ring]

Raising canes is the most overrated chain in history. Change my mind.

I used to say zaxbys was way better than canes but damn they fell off hard in the last few years. Both are pretty mediocre now tbh

Haha. This is true, but I still like Zaxbys. However, I do see them being the first of the chicken national chain fast food joints to go under.

[Jazz9]

He doesn't have the greatest genetics on that front but honestly a high level athlete in his early-mid 20s should be in better shape.
Was watching some of his 2nd year highlights and he looked a lot better. Sure that was a few years ago but, again, the guy just turned 25.
If he struggles with it now what's it gonna be in his 30s?

[KGDirkTD_Fan]

He wore a shirt saying "All I need is suvo meso and rakija" last season.

"Suvo meso" means "dried meat" and includes bacon, dry sausages, dry-cured ham etc. Rakija is Balkan moonshine made of fruit, the best drink on the planet.

Looks like he strictly follows that diet.

Wouldn't surprise me if he's lighting smokes after the game like Divac. This is so incredibly Balkan.

[KGDirkTD_Fan]

Does this mean that one reporter in the middle of the season was right about Luka needing to hit the treadmill? It wasn't really obvious to me until the playoffs he's was a bit chunky.