Fan-favorite NC State March Madness star is unrecognizable

DJ Burns Jr. quickly became a fan favorite during North Carolina State’s memorable March Madness run, but the big man might be hard to recognize these days.

Burns has lost a ton of weight since NC State’s 2023-24 season ended with a loss to Purdue in the Final Four on April 6. Shams Charania of The Athletic spoke with Burns this week as the 6-foot-9 forward prepares for the NBA Draft, and Burns said he had lost 45 pounds in less than two months.

“He was listed at 275 pounds when he finished the season in college. I saw him at the pro day yesterday. He looked totally different,” Charania said Wednesday. “I talked to him afterward — DJ Burns told me he has lost 45 pounds in the last six-and-a-half weeks. He said he’s doing cardio workouts at 5 a.m. He told me no Ozempic. He said he’s been doing workouts four days a week at 5 a.m. — cardio workouts specifically.”