- Burns weighed 275 kilos at NC State, where he led the team to the Final Four
- He is now hoping to get picked in next month’s NBA Draft in Brooklyn
DJ Burns says you may keep the Ozempic because he doesn’t need it.
The one-time 275-pound North Carolina State center claims to have dropped about 17 percent of his body weight without the controversial drug as he prepares for the NBA Draft.
Standing 6-foot-9, the hefty Burns helped lift 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 around 45 kilos in lower than two months with 4 5am workouts every week.
The weight reduction was revealed by Shams Charania on Run It Back, where he shared a picture of the slimmed-down Burns.
After starting his profession at Winthrop, Burns transferred to NC State in 2022 and quickly established himself as certainly one of the ACC’s higher 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’s dropped 45 kilos without the assistance of Ozempic
Most importantly for NBA scouts, he’s shown a superb touch across the basket by making 54 percent of his 2-point field-goal attempts with the Wolfpack.
Despite two strong seasons at NC State, Burns just isn’t yet considered to be a first-round pick by experts, although that might change in the approaching weeks.
There had been some speculation that the South Carolina native could move to the gridiron, and there have been even rumors that NFL scouts had taken notice.
However, Burns shot that concept down after the season.
When asked in April if he had any interest in a football profession, Burns bluntly said: ‘Zero.’
It was a semi-reversal of earlier within the week on the ‘Dan Patrick Show,’ when the senior said basketball was at all times his first priority but that ‘I’m not a closed-minded person.’
Burns said he did, indeed, play football when he was younger.
‘Until I got my first scholarship offer (for basketball), after which I quit immediately,’ Burns said.
Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts said he didn’t received a single call about Burns as a football player, and that the sport doesn’t really fit his personality anyway.
‘No way he will play football,’ Keatts said. ‘I mean, listen, he’s got a terrific touch. He’s not that bully that you simply guys think. You spent a while with him? He’s a Teddy bear off the court.’
