Over the years, Dallas Mavericks fans grew used to hearing sports “experts” and analysts breakdown images and videos of Luka Doncic's body and conditioning. If an image surfaced where Doncic looked slightly bigger, it would lead to allegations of the star not taking his conditioning seriously enough. If an image surfaced during the offseason of Doncic looking slightly more in shape, people would instantly assume Luka's primary focus was conditioning and losing weight. It became an obsession — and now the same thing is happening with Anthony Davis.
For those that live under a rock or simply don't follow sports, Davis was traded to the Mavs — along with Max Christie and a first round pick — from the Los Angeles Lakers for Doncic last season. One of the rumored reasons for the Mavs' shocking decision centered around conditioning concerns over Doncic.
Davis reportedly gained around 15 pounds this past offseason — leading fans to wonder if the organization may have some frustration as a result. However, AD recently clarified that putting on weight during the offseason is part of his process, as he then loses it during the preseason and season.
Since last year’s training camp with the Lakers, Anthony Davis has gained 15 pounds 😯 pic.twitter.com/gyn5EdqVhg
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) October 1, 2025
However, the Anthony Davis weight discussion is already being picked up by many outlets and analysts. Former player and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins even went as far as to say he's disappointed in the big man.
“I'm very disappointed or a little disappointed in Anthony Davis because I thought he would come in and be on a mission,” Perkins said of Davis' current weight, via NBA on ESPN.
Is there truly reason for concern, though?
No need to panic over Anthony Davis' weight
If AD weighs a bit more, it's not that big of a deal. He's still a superstar player. Injury concerns have been a problem in the past for AD — but those have occurred regardless of his physical shape.
Davis' weight has never really been much of a concern in the past. One has to imagine the conversation is becoming especially viral at the moment given the manner in which Doncic was traded.
For what it's worth, Luka lost weight this summer and appears to arguably be in the best shape of his life — something that won't help the new narrative surrounding Davis.
However, Anthony Davis can silence the talk by playing well in his first full season with the Mavericks.
