Deandre Ayton Reveals Jaw-Dropping Secret Behind Luka Dončić’s ‘Super-Ripped’ Transformation That’s Changing the Lakers Game!

There have been rumbles nearly all offseason about Dončić slimming down. The Mavericks’ concerns about his conditioning was one of the main narratives out of Dallas following the trade that rocked the NBA, and he has now reportedly dropped “significant weight.”AdvertisementDeandre Ayton has his fresh start and the Los Angeles Lakers have their new featured big man.

With Dončić and LeBron James, Ayton will be playing with two of the best ball distributors of his career. He’s looking forward to the experience:

“I feel like the Lakers were the best position [for me],” Ayton said. “They want to win a championship right now, and I want to win right now as well and just be part of a winning legacy and be around winners. … The last two years was just a different route for me and I just learned a lot that when you don’t win in this league, you can be forgotten.””They both average about nine assists over their career span,” Ayton said. “They turn [their teammates] into superstars, they make them bigger than their roles, they make them very important on the floor.”

[Get more Lakers news: L.A. team feed]Deandre Ayton’s journey takes an intriguing twist as he steps onto the Los Angeles Lakers’ stage, ready to carve out a fresh legacy with the storied franchise. This former No. 1 overall draft pick isn’t just joining a team—he’s positioning himself as the new cornerstone in a lineup desperately hunting for dominance. After sealing a two-year, .6 million free agency deal post-buyout from the Portland Trail Blazers, Ayton’s excitement pulses not just from the contract but from the opportunity. Sharing the court with the likes of Luka Dončić—a player he openly admires and can’t wait to gel with—adds a compelling narrative layer to this high-stakes reunion. Ayton’s enthusiasm, wrapped in a sleek black suit, whispered at his Los Angeles introduction: this isn’t just a contract; it feels like a “video game” perfectly set up for success. But beyond the flash and pomp lies a complex dynamic: Can Ayton shake off past criticisms, elevate his game alongside basketball icons, and help the Lakers reclaim their throne? Only time will tell—but one thing’s for sure, this new chapter is loaded with promise and the kind of palpable energy that Lakers fans crave. LEARN MORE

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“This feels like a video game, like somebody set it up,” Ayton, decked out in an all-black suit, said at his introductory news conference. “This is an opportunity that I won’t take for granted. Luka is a once-in-a-generation player, and I’m happy to be his teammate. Hearing about the kind of shape he’s been in, he’s super ripped, and I’m finally glad to be on his side.”

Ayton has faced somewhat similar criticisms during his two seasons in Portland, though more about his on-court effort than fitness. The Lakers now offer him a chance to show he can be a dynamic player on a team with a path toward contention, and Ayton didn’t deny it will be a different environment, via ESPN:

DeAndre Ayton is a Laker. He seems pretty happy about it. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)