Luka Doncic’s offseason transformation apparently did not stop with the work he began more than a year ago.
The Los Angeles Lakers offered their clearest look yet at Doncic during the team’s Slovenia minicamp Sunday, posting a video that showed their franchise star with longer hair, a noticeably slimmer body and a white headband similar to the one worn by Austin Reaves.
The appearance drew immediate attention. The setting carried greater significance.
Doncic brought nearly the entire Lakers roster to his home country for a four-day gathering centered on workouts and team bonding. In the first summer after LeBron James left for the Philadelphia 76ers, the trip represented an early demonstration of Doncic’s growing control over the franchise.
Doncic Continues Men’s Health Transformation
The leaner frame is not the product of a quick summer makeover.
Doncic revealed the details of his conditioning overhaul in a July 2025 Men’s Health cover story. The transformation began immediately after the Lakers’ first-round playoff elimination that spring, when Doncic instructed his performance team to start training without the customary offseason break.
He initially spent a full month away from basketball, concentrating on recovery, strength and conditioning. His program later expanded to two 90-minute workouts per day, incorporating weightlifting, resistance-band exercises, hurdles, sprints, agility work and shooting drills.
Doncic also adopted a gluten-free, low-sugar diet containing at least 250 grams of protein per day. His intermittent-fasting schedule generally kept him from eating between 8:30 p.m. and noon, with his first workout occurring near the end of that window.
“Just visually, I would say my whole body looks better,” Doncic told Men’s Health last year.
Sunday’s video suggested those changes have become sustainable habits rather than a temporary response to criticism about his conditioning.
Doncic Hosts New-Look Lakers
The physical overhaul carried into a stellar first full season in Los Angeles.
Doncic averaged an NBA-leading 33.5 points and played his way into the MVP conversation while directing one of the Western Conference’s strongest teams. His season ended abruptly in April, however, when he suffered a Grade 2 strain of his left hamstring.
The injury prevented Doncic from participating in the playoffs, and the Lakers were eventually eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals. Doncic has since said he is fully healthy.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that his Slovenia minicamp runs from Aug. 20-24 in Ljubljana. Doncic chartered a flight and covered transportation and accommodations for his teammates, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
The itinerary has included basketball workouts, golf, fishing, group dinners and visits to Ljubljana and Lake Bled.
Sixteen Lakers accepted the invitation. The only absence was first-round pick Cameron Carr, who was required to attend the NBA’s rookie orientation program.
The gathering gives newcomers such as Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Kevon Looney and Matisse Thybulle an early opportunity to learn Doncic’s game.
His extended stay in Slovenia also carries personal significance. Doncic skipped national-team competition this summer while navigating legal proceedings involving his two daughters with former fiancée Anamaria Goltes, who lives in Slovenia with Gabriela and Olivia.
Goltes recently sought to withdraw her California petition for child support and attorney fees, although the filing was made without prejudice. Doncic has spent much of the offseason in Slovenia to remain close to his daughters.
The longer hair and Reaves-style headband may be cosmetic. The slimmer body is evidence of a transformation entering its second year.
The minicamp is something more: Doncic embracing the responsibility of leading the post-LeBron Lakers.
Luka Doncic Turns Heads With New Look at Lakers’ Slovenia Minicamp