"He had to get in the weight room" - Nate McMillan compares Luka's transformation to MJ bulking up to beat the Bad Boys
Luka Doncic's stunning body transformation has left many people in awe, and 29 NBA coaches are worried like hell about facing the Los Angeles Lakers next season. However, Lakers assistant coach Nate McMillan says he isn't surprised at what Luka did this summer.
McMillan said it's a classic example of how great players respond to challenges. In fact, what Doncic did is precisely what the greatest basketball player of all time accomplished to finally get over the hump.
"I've seen this before in the NBA with players who, they come in to the league…It's just like Michael. Michael makes the comment years ago that the Pistons just beat him up, so he had to get in the weight room," he said.
Same thing with Luka
McMillan was the Seattle SuperSonics' 2nd round pick in the 1986 NBA Draft. He played in the league from 1986 to 1998 and was still playing when Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships during an eight-year period during the 1990s.
Nate was also in the NBA when Michael kept losing to the Detroit Pistons year after year. When MJ finally said enough was enough, he dedicated himself to the weight room and became bigger and stronger to withstand the physicality of their rivals, known as the Bad Boys.
However, while Luka didn't get beaten up on the court by an opponent, his reputation was damaged after being slandered by his former team. And like Michael did in 1990, he went straight to the weight room and got locked in,
"It's the same thing with Luka. You've played a certain way for a number of years. You've been successful doing it, but if you want to continue to improve and be one of the great players in this game, you have to continue to improve your game, and work on your game, and work on your body," added McMillan.Mike added muscle, Luka dropped weight
In Jordan's case, he had to bulk up to match the Bad Boys' physicality. His former trainer, Tim Grover, once said that MJ added 15 pounds of muscle during the summer of 1990 to get ready for the Pistons. Meanwhile, sources say Doncic dropped 31 pounds this summer to prepare for the 2025-26 NBA season.
Michael led the Bulls to a 61-21 season in 1990-91. After dropping only one game in the first two rounds of the playoffs, MJ and the Bulls swept the Pistons in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals and proceeded to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 in the championship series to win the first of six NBA titles during the MJ era. Jordan won his second league MVP award that year and also earned his first NBA Finals MVP award.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have opened with one of the best odds to win the 2026 NBA championship, while Doncic is also among the early favorites to win the next MVP award.
Although we won't see what "Slim Luka" can do in the NBA just yet, Doncic is currently in Europe to represent Slovenia in the 2025 FIBA Eurobasket tournament, which takes place from August 27 to September 4, so we'll see a glimpse of this new version of "Luka Magic."This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
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