Following the Twitter notification heard around the world on Feb. 2 — Shams Charania’s announcement that Luka Dončić had been traded — and the first wave of shock that hit NBA fans, it seemed like the Dallas Mavericks launched a smear campaign against their former superstar.
Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison pointed to “conditioning issues” as a major concern when pulling the plug on the team’s generational star. He also said the front office wanted a “win-now” approach that didn’t line up with where Dončić was physically.
Is Luka Dončić’s Conditioning a Serious Problem?
More than two months after the trade, the Mavericks’ criticism of Dončić’s conditioning seemed to have faded into social media’s rearview — until the Lakers’ recent loss to the Golden State Warriors brought it all back.
The matchup wasn’t just big because of the playoff race — it was LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry. That’s always a must-see showcase.
The Lakers trailed most of the game. Even with a late fourth-quarter push, they still lost 123–116.
Doncic shot 35% from the field, including an 0-for-6 night on 3-pointers. His slow-footed defense didn’t go unnoticed — Warriors coaches clearly saw it, as they went at him on multiple possessions.
Every player has bad nights. But when Doncic struggles, it feels like a green light for the media to body-shame him in ways other stars don’t face.
Kendrick Perkins, unsurprisingly, weighed in on the topic.
“We’re going into the postseason and Luka’s biggest issue has to be addressed in the offseason. He’s out of shape. He needs to lose weight. That’s not gonna happen no time soon. There’s a reason Golden State was searching him out defensively, and it’s going to continue to happen even when they get into the postseason.”
Public opinion is fickle. The media? Even more so. If one rough game from Dončić sparks this much criticism, the same people trashing him now might be roasting Harrison later for trading him over body concerns.
Dončić has never ducked responsibility.
“That performance from me was unacceptable,” said the five-time All-Star after the loss. “When I play like that, it makes, for the team, harder to win. So, I got to figure that out.”
Lakers head coach J.J. Redick knows his star better than anyone. When asked about Dončić’s off night against the Warriors, Redick didn’t mention “conditioning.”
He just said, “It wasn’t his night.”
Even the all-time greats have rough games. Dončić knows one performance doesn’t define him. Perhaps Lakers fans should too.