Zion Williamson or Luka Doncic? Who had the most impressive body-transforming offseason?

The NBA offseason is an important transition period in which players work on their game. One of the things they work on is their physical frame, and in this regard, two superstars who have stood out are Zion Williamson and Luka Doncic. While the two have been previously criticized by the basketball community for being out of shape, both Williamson and Doncic have shown impressive transformation over the past few months.

As Doncic ramped up his preparations for the 2025 EuroBasket tournament, a slimmer version of the Slovenian guard was seen in photos and videos on social media. While Doncic remains incredibly blessed as far as basketball skills are concerned, there's no denying that his improved conditioning played a role in his stellar EuroBasket play.

Though Slovenia made a quarterfinal exit courtesy of Germany, Doncic had left his stamp of dominance, leading all scorers in the tournament with a sizzling 34.7 points per game and even getting nominated for the Best Defensive Player Award.

While Doncic has already validated his physical transformation with these feats, NBA fans are waiting for Williamson to showcase a different level of proficiency in the upcoming season. This is because they have taken note of his skinnier frame as well.

It appears that Williamson has finally made the drastic changes to his diet and conditioning practices that fans and analysts have spent years clamoring for. One of the most infamous callouts came early in the 2021-22 season, when "Inside the NBA" personality Charles Barkley joked that a bulky-looking Williamson looked like "me and Shaq had a baby."

The pictures posted by the New Orleans Pelicans on social media, along with footage from the team's media day, show that Williamson has shed a significant amount of weight. His muscle groups look better toned, and on top of this, he looks genuinely happy to present this new version of himself.

The transformation of both players has gotten fans buzzing, for better or for worse.

"lol Luka been a MVP candidate and took his team to the finals. What has Zion done in the league?," one fan tweeted.

Kim Sanity

@KimSanity45

lol Luka been a MVP candidate and took his team to the finals. What has Zion done in the league?

"Zion and Luka both deciding not to be fatasses is kinda crazy," another fan tweeted.

Honest Truth Teller

@EChoobaka13

Zion and Luka both deciding not to be fatasses is kinda crazy

On the one hand, fans' struggle to accept the new versions of Williamson and Doncic is understandable. For years, Williamson has struggled to stay available for the Pelicans as he battled various injuries. In three seasons (including the 2024-25 campaign), he played 30 regular season games or less. Williamson also missed the entirety of the 2021-22 season.

On the other hand, concerns over conditioining was reportedly one of the reasons that led to the Dallas Mavericks trading away Doncic in a blockbuster deal back in February. By all indications, the future of the LA Lakers franchise has been extremely motivated to get in better shape and lead his new team to a deep playoff run.

Zion Williamson or Luka Doncic? Who had the most impressive body-transforming offseason?

As mentioned, fans have started to take sides in this Williamson vs. Doncic debate, which has gone viral as it concerns former no. 1 draft picks who have yet to reach the peak of their excellence.

Thus far, Doncic has done more in offseason games to back up the swagger of his new-and-improved look. Of course, once Williamson unlocks a different level of athleticism and becomes fully reliable in terms of availability, the Pelicans superstar will make his own case for having achieved the better transformation.