Shaquille O'Neal offers surprising advice to Lakers' Luka Doncic on silencing critics

Having already played his first two games with the Los Angeles Lakers, Luka Doncic showcased glimpses of his remarkable talent but was far from the dominant force he had been in Dallas over the past few seasons. Since his transition to the Lakers, some critics have pointed out concerns about the Slovenian guard’s physical shape, with accusations of him being overweight. In light of this, Shaquille O’Neal provided Luka with some candid guidance.

“So you listen to all that stuff like, okay, you’re not in shape; start eating salad, my boy,” O’Neal said of Doncic on The Big Podcast. “If he goes to the wine bar, may have to chill out on the wine. He does this and does that. He was at a fat camp. Now you just gotta shut them up… I would tell them shut the (expletive) up.”

Shaq, a three-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, immediately praised Luka for his composure in handling the criticism—something he admitted he lacked during his own playing days. “I commend him for being classy because he’s a better man than I am,” O’Neal said. “Being super classy, so hey, get right, get healthy, and just take over.”

Reflecting on his own approach to criticism, the former center was forthright about how he handled negative feedback throughout his career. “My mother was a very wise woman for telling me this because I used to go crazy from criticism. She always used to say, ‘See if there’s some truth inside the criticism before you go off.’ Like, oh, you never win a championship if you don’t hit free throws, and she might be right,” O’Neal continued: “So what do I do, alright I got to average 40 then. I got to dominate so bad that if I missed five or six free throws, it won’t even matter.”

Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers warms up prior to a game against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena on February 10, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

Shaq’s struggles in his first year with the Heat

O’Neal also recalled how he faced similar scrutiny when joining the Miami Heat in 2004, following his successful run with the Los Angeles Lakers. “Did my work ethic change? Yeah, because now you got people doubting me. So now, again, I wanted to shut them up,” he explained. “Didn’t do it that year, but came back next year and did shut them up.”

see also

Shaquille O’Neal issues request to Dallas Mavericks regarding Luka Doncic’s trade to the Lakers

Delving into those moments further, Shaq shared: “I had a conversation with Pat (Riley), and we had lost early that year. So Pat was like, ‘Hey, I need you to do this.’ I was like, ‘All right, I’ll switch it up.’ But I didn’t do a lot of basketball stuff — just a lot of UFC training and changed the way I ate.”

What has Doncic said about his fitness?

Upon his arrival in Los Angeles, Luka Doncic addressed the media at length regarding his unexpected trade from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers, as well as the high expectations for his new chapter in the NBA. During the press conference, he was asked about the criticism regarding his physical condition and made his stance clear. “It’s a motive,” Luka said, insisting that he does not believe there is any truth to the claims about his weight. “I know it’s not true, but it’s a motive.”