SI

Luka Doncic Got in Some Extra Conditioning After Messing Up His Pregame Tradition

Kristen Wong

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) warms up prior to the game against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) warms up prior to the game against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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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.

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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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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