Luka Doncic Doing Push-Ups With Nico Harrison in Background Was Ultimate Irony

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Whether it was leaked intentionally or made it to the ears of an NBA insider, Dallas Mavericks' general manager Nico Harrison's concerns about Luka Doncic's weight management and his seemingly lackadaisical approach to conditioning were made public in the aftermath of the blockbuster trade that sent the five-time All-Star to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier in February.
Doncic showed out in his first game against his former team since the trade Tuesday night—with Harrison in attendance no less. The guard recorded a triple double in the Lakers' 107–99 win over his former team.
One moment during Doncic's pregame warmup stuck out, purely for its hilariously coincidental nature, as well as its irony in light of the Mavericks' criticisms of the now-Lakers star's conditioning.
Doncic dropped to the ground and began doing push-ups after a missed shot—with Harrison watching in the background.
Luka hitting pushups with Nico Harrison in the background 👀
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 26, 2025
(via @ArashMarkazi)pic.twitter.com/1O9edEh4qZ
Oh, the irony. To be fair, it's entirely possible that this is an exercise Doncic frequently performs as part of his warmups. But the fact that he was engaging in some form of non-basketball physical activity while the man who questioned his commitment to said non-basketball physical activities was seemingly looking on in the background was so perfect it was almost sitcom-esque.
Well done, NBA script writers.
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Tim Capurso is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated, primarily covering MLB, college football and college basketball. Before joining SI in November 2023, Capurso worked at RotoBaller and ClutchPoints and is a graduate of Assumption University. When he's not working, he can be found at the gym, reading a book or enjoying a good hike. A resident of New York, Capurso openly wonders if the Giants will ever be a winning football team again.