Charles Barkley points to own weight-loss journey in criticism of Luka Doncic, Zion Williamson

On Saturday night, the Dallas Mavericks shocked fans around the globe by trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster deal. While Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison pointed to Doncic’s looming supermax deal this offseason as the main reason behind the trade, insiders claimed that there was serious concern around Doncic’s conditioning.

Doncic isn’t the first NBA star who has struggled to stay in tip-top shape. During an appearance on Get Up on Monday, NBA Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley weighed in on the situation while pulling back the curtain on his own weight loss journey.

“I was having great success in college. You can be fat in high school. You can be fat in college and have success. You cannot be fat in the pros,” Barkley said. “You can have some success, but you can’t be great.

“So, I wasn’t getting to play and I was the No. 5 pick in the draft. And I asked Moses [Malone] one day, could I come see him? And I said, ‘Moses, why am I not getting to play?’ And he said, ‘You’re fat and you’re lazy.’

“And I was like, ‘What?’ He says, ‘Charles, you can be a good player. You can never be a great player.’ He said, ‘You gonna have success, but you can never be an all-time [great] unless you get in shape.’ He took me under his wing and he made me lose 50 pounds, and the rest is history.”

Doncic is listed as 230 pounds but insiders claim that the five-time All-NBA First-Team member was hovering around 260 pounds this season. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the Mavericks grew frustrated with Doncic’s lack of discipline regarding his diet and conditioning.

Barkley believes that Luka Doncic needs somebody who will hold him accountable off the court despite his in-game success.

“The problem with Luka and Zion Williamson, both guys who need to get in shape, they’re already made men,” Barkley said. “This guy’s a great player. If he ever got in shape, he could be even better. Same thing with Zion. But, because they have so much power, nobody on the team in New Orleans can say to Zion, ‘Zion, man, as good as you are, you’re talented. But you could be a super, super, superstar if you got in shape.’ Same thing with Luka.

“I think they brought LeBron in to be a mentor for Luka. Lebron’s body is incredible. He’s one of the greatest, greatest players ever, but from a conditioning [standpoint], I think they’re hoping that rubs off on Luka.”