Anthony Davis’ Jaw-Dropping Weight Raises Questions Ahead of 2025–26 NBA Season

Here we go again. The NBA offseason is officially over, which means it’s time for the most sacred of annual traditions: dissecting grainy photos of players at training camp to determine who spent their summer at the buffet versus the weight room. This year’s main course? None other than Anthony Davis. The ink is barely dry on his Dallas Mavericks jersey, and already the hot-take artists are cranking up the heat because Davis showed up to camp looking less like a chiseled Greek god and more like a guy who enjoyed his vacation.

And, of course, leading the charge is the internet’s favorite takesman, Kendrick Perkins, expressing his “disappointment.” Because nothing says “I’m on a mission” quite like maintaining the exact same physique year-round, right? Let’s all take a collective deep breath and maybe, just maybe, let the man play a game before we anoint him the next “out-of-shape” superstar.

The Great Weight Debate: Why Is Everyone Obsessed with Davis?

Let’s be real, the annual “Player X is out of shape!” narrative is as tired as a team on the second night of a back-to-back. Yet, here we are, because Anthony Davis dared to show up to training camp with a few extra pounds. The outrage machine, predictably, fired right up.

The irony is thick enough to cut with a knife. For years, Mavericks fans endured a running commentary on Luka Dončić’s conditioning. Now, in a twist of fate only the basketball gods could script, they’ve traded one weight-watch saga for another. Davis, the centerpiece of a trade that sent a European superstar packing, is now under the same microscopic scrutiny.

Kendrick Perkins, never one to miss an opportunity for a soundbite, wasted no time weighing in. “I’m very disappointed…in Anthony Davis because I thought he would come in and be on a mission,” Perkins declared on ESPN. He even brought rookie Cooper Flagg into it, questioning what kind of example Davis was setting. It’s a classic take: a player isn’t laser-focused unless he looks like he just finished a triathlon.

Davis Sets the Record Straight on His Offseason Plan

Lost in all the noise and performative outrage is Davis’s own explanation, which, frankly, makes a ton of sense. When asked about the chatter, Davis was refreshingly direct.

“I put on so much weight over the summer, then by the time November comes, I’m usually like 255, 258,” Davis explained. “I never want to come in at my playing weight, because then I lose weight during the season, and then I’m too small. I lose about 10 to 12 pounds very quickly.”

He even noted he’d already dropped five pounds during the initial camp grind. This isn’t some rookie mistake; it’s a calculated strategy from a 12-year veteran who understands the grueling 82-game marathon. He’s building a buffer, knowing the season will chip away at him. It’s the difference between starting a road trip with a full tank of gas versus just enough to get to the first stop. Davis is planning for the long haul, not just the first preseason game.

Is This Really a Controversy, or Just Recycled Drama?

The bottom line is this: the focus on Anthony Davis’s weight is a manufactured controversy. It’s an easy, low-hanging fruit for analysts and fans looking for something to talk about before the real games begin. His injury history is a legitimate concern, but that has plagued him at various weights. Tying his current physical state to a lack of commitment is a lazy leap in logic.

This narrative is especially potent because of the Dončić trade. The subtext is that Dallas shipped off one conditioning question mark only to acquire another. But Davis has a championship ring and a long track record of elite play. He knows his body better than anyone tweeting from their couch.

Let’s be honest: this whole saga says more about the state of sports media than it does about Anthony Davis. It’s a cycle of overreaction that prioritizes clicks over context. The real test for Davis won’t be on the scale at training camp; it will be on the court in April, May, and hopefully, June. Until then, maybe we can shelve the disappointment and let the man do his job. He’s earned at least that much.