nbaLuka Doncic is drawing inspiration from the training regimens of NBA legends Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant as he prepares for his first full season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Doncic was traded to the Lakers in February after six and a half seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, who picked him with the third overall pick of the 2018 draft.
The Slovenian's exit was met with furious protests from the Mavs' fanbase, and his former team went on to lose to the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in round.
The Lakers only went one step further, however, as Doncic, LeBron James and company lost 4-1 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in their first-round playoff series.
Doncic was limited to a career-low 50 games throughout the 2024-25 season, but he intends to come back stronger for 2025-26, having spent the last two months following a strict training program in Croatia.
And Doncic believes the achievements of Jordan and Bryant, who played 15 and 20 seasons in the NBA respectively, show the importance of sacrifice and hard work.
"MJ and Kobe, you know, they really did a lot in their careers, they sacrificed a lot," Doncic told Men's Health. "Every summer I try my best to work on different things.
"Obviously, I'm very competitive. This summer was just a little bit different, you know. It motivated me to be even better. I would say my whole body looks better.
"Not everything is about jumping high. I think I'm very athletic in other stuff; balancing, controlling my body, what I do when I stop, slowing down...
"This year, with my team, I think we took a huge step. But this is just the start, you know. I need to keep going. I can't stop."
Doncic has two years remaining on his contract with Los Angeles, who will be able to offer him a four-year, $222 million extension next month.
