Luka Dončić’s Off-Season Diet and Training Plan for 2025

Macek took charge of the workouts—except Sundays, Dončić hit two per day, with plenty of lifting, mobility, and court drills. But fueling the 6’7” point guard as he underwent this Rocky-style transformation may have been an even tougher job: a chemistry experiment where all the elements not only had to fulfill a specific function, but also taste great and make sense to Luka as he learned the ropes of performance nutrition. “He’s 26, and it’s a learning process,” says Barrio.

It helped that their client was motivated. Luka’s final game with the Lakers was April 30th; days later he was on the plane to his native Slovenia. “He arrived May fifth, and said, I want to start immediately,” recalls Barrio. And he did: right around the time you’d forgive a pro athlete for kicking back with pizza and a few beers, Luka went low-carb.

The dedication has paid off: in July, Luka was already showcasing a newly sleek, sinewy physique, and appears poised to unleash a new level of fitness and athleticism in the 2025 season.

Here’s how he’s fueling up for the job:

It’s All in the Timing

This off season, every day but Sunday, Dončić fasts from 8:30 PM to 12 noon the following day. That’s 16 hours with nary a calorie, with the first workout of each day performed at the end of the fasting window. “It’s not so easy to learn,” says Barrio of the regimen. Fasted workouts can help bring blood sugar down, and may improve your ability to burn fat—and, indeed, Dončić is noticeably leaner this off-season. But weight loss isn’t his primary goal: “It’s to reduce inflammation,” says Barrio: intense workouts can increase inflammatory markers, particularly if you’re doing them frequently. Fasting helps tame post-workout inflammation so Dončić can attack his two-a-days feeling fresh and rested.

Protein Is Primary

The unrelenting workout program means Luka’s muscles are in a constant state of breakdown. The only way to ensure that he is able to rebuild that tissue is to top his protein tank off almost continuously—to the tune of 250 grams per day: more than one gram per pound of his bodyweight each day. Luka consumes it all–the equivalent of five extra-large chicken breasts–in the eight-hour window between noon and 8 PM, in accordance with his daily 16:8 fasting schedule. That’s a tall order, and requires Luka to get some of his daily quota from shakes (with no-sugar, low-carb whey protein isolate), along with the animal proteins (eggs and chicken are staples) he eats during regular meals. “The only quantity that we measure is the protein,” says Almendros. “[250 grams] is the minimum. If he wants more, he can eat more.”

Fat Is His Friend

Known primarily as a booster of cardiac health, omega-3 fats—available in olive oil, avocados, nuts, and fatty seafood (like salmon)—are also among the most potent anti-inflammatory nutrients in the pantry. Nuts, especially, are a nutrient-dense powerhouse, and Luka keeps them handy for fast energy, fiber, protein, and even mood enhancement: a 2022 study found a link between nut consumption and improved mood.

He Pushes the Plants

We know that working out requires tons of calories and protein. Less discussed is how exercise burns through vitamins and minerals as well. Magnesium, calcium, potassium, zinc, phosphorus, and vitamins A, B, D and E all play vital roles in muscle contraction and gut health. To keep those levels high, Luka pounds plenty of plants. Fruit—often as a dessert—is a staple, particularly red fruits (those anti-inflammatory properties again). Vegetables were central too, the better to provide a steady influx of water and energy-giving electrolytes—essential to a hardworking (and hard-sweating) athlete.

He Matches His Macros

Year-round, carbs are the one variable macronutrient in Luka’s diet. He avoids gluten—found in wheat products—and ate other starchy carbs like rice and potatoes sparingly, but strategically, says Almendros: “Depending on the game, depending on the moment of the season, depending on his physical condition, we use carbs—but in a specific moment to have energy in the game or in the training.” Sometimes called macro matching, this strategy—increasing carbs on high-energy training days and dropping them on less demanding ones—fuels workouts while maintaining body composition and reducing unnecessary digestive distress.

He Keeps Things Disciplined–But Not Rigid

Barrios and Almendros take the brakes off a bit for Dončić’s competitive season, allowing for more flexibility in food choices and timing when travel and the stress of high-pressure games make it harder to stick to a stringent nutritional plan. “You can’t eat nothing after 8 PM,” during the basketball season, says Barrios, “Because half the days you are traveling in this time. You are not able to do a fasting 16:8 during the season—this is impossible.” The nutritional plan doesn’t go out the window once games begin, Barrios stresses—it just becomes somewhat less strict to accommodate Luka’s intense competitive and travel schedule.

Andrew Heffernan, CSCS is a health, fitness, and Feldenkrais coach, and an award-winning health and fitness writer. His writing has been featured in Men’s Health, Experience Life, Onnit.com, and Openfit, among other outlets. An omnivorous athlete, Andrew is black belt in karate, a devoted weight lifter, and a frequent high finisher in triathlon and Spartan races. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their two children.