Los Angeles Lakers fans were delighted to see Luka Doncic’s fiancée cooking some healthy food as concerns remain over the Slovenian’s conditioning.
Doncic’s partner Anamaria Goltes shared a photo on Instagram of her cooking a vegetable-based race dish which sent Laker fans wild on social media.
Supporters of the famous purple and gold, who are well aware of the narrative surrounding Doncic’s weight, conditioning and nutrition, made light of the post on X (formerly Twitter).
Luka Doncic’s wife cooking healthy food
League is in trouble next season 😭🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/akTCSD3iJo
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) May 22, 2025
Does Luka Doncic have a conditioning problem?
After the Lakers exited the playoffs in the first round to the Minnesota Timberwolves, head coach JJ Redick told reporters his roster needed to ‘get in championship shape’ this offseason.
Redick didn’t mention any names specifically but many believe this was an indirect swipe at Doncic.
Did the Dallas Mavericks trade Luka Doncic because of his conditioning?
Worries around Doncic’s conditioning for the Mavericks began back in 2020. When the 2020-21 NBA season started following the COVID-19 pandemic, Doncic showed up to training camp noticeably heavier than he was earlier in the year during the playoffs.
He admitted himself: “It’s true, I’m not in my best shape. I will get there for sure. But, you know, I’ve never been a muscular guy so what can I say?”
TV analysts such as Reggie Miller on TNT began to comment on his shape, commenting that it was the heaviest he had ever seen Doncic look and Kevin Harlan pointed out he was noticeably exhausted on the court.
In response to that, Doncic said: “I know I’ve got to do better. I had a long summer and then I relax a little bit.”
Before the 2023-24 season, the New York Times reported key figures in the Mavericks franchise had spoken to Doncic about decreasing his preferred playing weight.
He impressed fans with his physique in the build up to the campaign and led Dallas to a Western Conference championship, eventually losing to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.
There is a famous video of Mavericks assistant GM Michael Finley removing a can of ‘recovery beer’ from Doncic’s hand after the team won the west.
Luka Doncic and his father, Sasa, after the Dallas Mavericks clinched a spot in the NBA Finals. pic.twitter.com/fbqhft2G6B
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) May 31, 2024
The 26-year-old seemingly wasn’t able to find any consistency in this department though and slipped back into bad habits eventually.
Early in the 2025-26 season, Doncic missed five games with what the team described as a right wrist sprain – but in reality it was supposed to be time off to improve his conditioning.
The Mavericks were well aware the player liked to put his feet up in the offseason, eating and drinking what he liked as well as hookah smoking.
After Doncic was traded to the Lakers in February – a shock move that rocked the world – ESPN’s Tim McMahon reported Dallas had major concerns about moving forward with him due to constant conditioning issues and the looming commitment of another supermax contract extension.
Mavericks GM Nico Harrison believed Doncic’s body would break down sooner than anyone would suspect and he felt it was the right time to move on from a player who is no doubt generational.
To make such a trade, there has to be something serious at play. Just last season, he became the first European to lead the NBA in scoring and has five All-NBA First Team honors to his name already.
Doncic averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.5 assists for the Lakers in 28 regular season games, so imagine what he could do in better shape at the peak of his powers.
