NBA hopeful DJ Burns reveals 45-pound weight loss ahead of draft after weighing a listed 275 pounds at NC State… and he did it without Ozempic!
- Burns weighed 275 pounds at NC State, where he led the team to the Final Four
- He now hopes to be picked in next month’s NBA Draft in Brooklyn
DJ Burns says you can keep the Ozempic because he doesn’t need it.
The 275-pound former North Carolina State center claims to have lost about 17 percent of his body weight without the controversial drug as he prepares for the NBA Draft.
Standing 6-foot-4, the burly Burns helped lead the Wolf Pack to last month’s Final Four, where NC State fell to Purdue and 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey.
But since declaring for next month’s NBA Draft, Burns has lost about 45 pounds in less than two months with four workouts at 5 a.m. every week.
The weight loss was revealed by Shams Charania on Run It Back, where he shared an image of the slimmed-down Burns.
After starting his career at Winthrop, Burns transferred to NC State in 2022 and quickly established himself as one of the ACC’s better post players by averaging 12.7 points per game over the past two seasons.
DJ Burns Jr. of the North Carolina State Wolfpack dribbles the ball around Trey Kaufman-Renn
Former NC State star DJ Burns said he lost 45 pounds without Ozempic’s help
Most importantly for NBA scouts, he has shown good touch around the basket by making 54 percent of his two-point field goal attempts with the Wolfpack.
Despite two strong seasons at NC State, Burns is not yet considered a first-round pick by experts, although that could change in the coming weeks.
There had been some speculation that the South Carolina native could move onto the playing field, and even rumors that NFL scouts had taken notice.
However, Burns shot down that idea after the season.
When asked in April if he was interested in a football career, Burns said bluntly: “Zero.”
It was a semi-reversal from earlier this week on the “Dan Patrick Show,” when the senior said basketball was always his first priority, but that “I’m not a close-minded person.”
Burns said he did indeed play football when he was younger.
“Until I got my first scholarship offer (for basketball), and then I quit immediately,” Burns said.
Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts said he hasn’t received any calls about Burns as a football player, and that the game doesn’t really suit his personality anyway.
“There’s no way he’s going to play football,” Keatts said. “I mean, listen, he’s got a great touch. He’s not as much of a bully as you think. Have you spent any time with him? Off the field he is a teddy bear.’