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!

DJ Burns says you can 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 pounds in less than two months with four 5am workouts 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 last two seasons.

Former NC State star DJ Burns said he’s dropped 45 pounds without the help of Ozempic

Most importantly for NBA scouts, he’s shown a good touch around the basket by making 54 percent of his 2-point field-goal attempts with the Wolfpack.

Despite two strong seasons at NC State, Burns is not yet considered to be 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 to the gridiron, and there were even rumors that NFL scouts had taken notice.

However, Burns shot that idea down after the season.

When asked in April if he had any interest in a football career, Burns bluntly said: ‘Zero.’

It was a semi-reversal of earlier in the week on the ‘Dan Patrick Show,’ when the senior said basketball was always 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), and then 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 game doesn’t really fit his personality anyway.

‘No way he’s going to play football,’ Keatts said. ‘I mean, listen, he’s got a great touch. He’s not that bully that you guys think. You spent some time with him? He’s a Teddy bear off the court.’