Luka Dončić might have a higher vertical than his rookie season, but it can’t be higher than the number recorded at the 2018 NBA Draft Combine, because he wasn’t there.

Men’s Health released what was largely an excellent feature on Dončić Monday morning, detailing his new focus on fitness and conditioning this NBA offseason. Take one look at the photos and it’s clear Dončić won’t have to worry about being called the Pillsbury Doughboy again anytime soon.

But there’s one note in the feature that went viral for all the wrong reasons. The claim that Dončić at 26 years old, can jump higher than the 42-inch vertical leap he recorded at the 2018 NBA Scouting Combine. As Nick Wright and others have since noted, Dončić did not attend the combine.

“You read the entire article aside from the fake news in it that Luka had a 42″ vertical at the combine which is not correct, it’s AI slop that the author got wrong…Luka didn’t go to the combine” – Nick Wright pic.twitter.com/iaXIHFJDcr

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 28, 2025

“You read the entire article aside from the fake news in it that Luka had a 42-inch vertical at the combine which is not correct, it’s AI slop that the author got wrong,” Wright said Monday afternoon on First Things First. “Luka didn’t go to the combine, so that’s the first key. Kids out there, real quick lesson, if you Google ‘Luka Dončić vertical’ the first result is an AI overview that says Luka Dončić had a 42-inch vertical at the combine because AI doesn’t know sports.”

Here is how Men’s Health initially framed Dončić’s vertical increase from what it was prior to when he was drafted as a 19-year-old.

Oh, and he can jump. Lost in the narratives about his weight and conditioning is the fact that, as a 19-year-old at the 2018 NBA Scouting Combine, Luka delivered a 42-inch vertical leap. After a full offseason with Team Luka, he’s not sure that number is still the same. “This year, we didn’t measure the jumping yet,” he says. “But I think it’s a little bit higher.”

Maybe Luka’s leap is higher today than when he was drafted into the NBA. Considering the initial write up, it seems reasonable to assume the author fired up the Google machine to find out Luka’s vertical as a rookie and was satisfied with the AI result. But Dončić was not at the 2018 NBA Scouting Combine, he wasn’t even in the United States at that time. According to The Athletic, it was Donte DiVincenzo who recorded the 42-inch leap.

Luka Dončić never had a 42-inch vertical, and never will. Dončić converted just one dunk last season and 25 in his rookie year. Those numbers would have been much greater if he had a 42-inch vertical. Most of his offensive numbers would be greater if a 6′ 6″ player with Dončić’s skillset had a 42-inch vertical.

Men’s Health has since corrected the error, eliminating any reference to Dončić having a 42-inch vertical or appearing at the 2018 NBA Scouting Combine prior to the direct quote from the Lakers superstar believing his current vertical is “a little bit higher.” The outlet also added a correction acknowledging the previous error.