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On Monday, an article from Men's Health chronicled the offseason of Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic, who is hoping to rid himself of the image of an out of shape, overweight player. The article was accompanied by pictures of Doncic, who seems to be in his slimmest form since his rookie season seven years ago.
One notable portion of the article claimed that Doncic recorded a 42-inch vertical leap at the 2018 NBA combine. Just one problem–Doncic wasn't in attendance at the 2018 NBA combine, per Yahoo Sports.
One possible explanation for the mishap was floated by Locked on Mavs reporter Nick Angstadt on X, formerly Twitter.
That men's health article on Luka Doncic claims he had a 42-inch vertical at the combine… but Luka didn't participate in the combine,” he noted. “It seems like the author just got that from the Google AI summary, which mistakes Donte Divincenzo's vertical leap number for Luka's.”
However, it is also possible that the Google AI summary only listed that number thanks to the article on Doncic.
Overall, we'll never know what was actually being referenced, but it's highly unlikely that Doncic ever recorded a 42-inch vertical, or anything particularly close to that number, for that matter.
A busy summer for Luka Doncic
Vertical leap fabrications aside, Lakers fans still have to be encouraged by the recent photos of Doncic, which showed the star in slim condition and seemingly ready for the 2025-26 NBA season to begin right now.
Members of the Dallas Mavericks leveled some stark accusations at Doncic in the wake of their shocking trade last winter, including that he was out of shape and unwilling to be a member of a defense-first team.
Doncic didn't exactly do a ton to dispel those rumors during his few months with the Lakers last year, but it seems like he's taken that criticism to heart so far this offseason by transforming his body.
If Doncic can maintain that level of conditioning throughout the upcoming 2025-26 season, the Lakers could be much more of a threat than originally anticipated.
The Lakers' schedule is set to come out in August.
