After a dominant defensive season, Luguentz “Lu” Dort helped the OKC Thunder win the NBA Championship over the Indiana Pacers. It was determined before tip-off in game one that there would be a fourth NBA champion from Montreal, and he would be from Montreal North. The only question before Sunday night’s game seven was: what colour would he be wearing? At the buzzer, it was Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz “Lu” Dort hugging his good friend Benedict Mathurin from the Indiana Pacers, while wearing a 2024/25 championship hat as Dort etched his name in Montreal sports history after the Thunder beat the Pacers 103-91 to take the title. Dort joins Chicago Bulls Centre Bill Wennington (3 times, 1996-1998), Miami Heat centre Joel Anthony (2 times, 2012-2013) and Toronto Raptors forward Chris Boucher (2018) among the hardcourt champions from the city. “If you had asked me 10-15 years ago if I was going to experience what I’m experiencing now, I couldn’t have imagined it at all,” said Dort, who turned 26 on April 19. “I had to believe in it, work on my game and trust the process.” “The Dorture Chamber” draped himself in Canadian and Haitian flags after the game and spoke about his roots. “I grew up in Canada, but I always represent Haiti because my people are from there,” he said. At times, Mathurin was a game-changer for the Pacers, coming off the bench. In game seven, he had 24 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Dort started in every game of the Thunder’s playoff run. He had nine points (including two three-pointers), seven rebounds and three steals in the final game, but it was his defensive doggedness that stood out throughout the 48 minutes, as it had throughout the playoffs and regular season. He made the NBA All-Defensive First Team and placed fourth in voting for the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. Dort’s fellow Canadian on the Thunder, Shai “SGA” Gilgeous-Alexander, won the Bill Russell finals MVP to cap off his incredible season that included a regular season MVP, scoring title, and Western Conference MVP. SGA is only the fourth player to nab the three plaudits and win a title, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal in 2000. Dort’s defence was continually highlighted in the Thunder’s dominant season and playoff run. Ringer podcast host Ryen Russillo spoke about Dort’s importance on the team on Bill Simmons’ Ringer podcast. “I’d be afraid to think what the personality of this team is without Lu Dort because every team needs a badass, and he’s still kind of a quiet badass,” he said. Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante gave a shoutout to the local players on social media. “Two local talents who are making Montreal and Quebec shine!” she wrote on X. “Bravo!” The Thunder went 68-14 in the regular season before beating the Memphis Grizzlies (in four games), Denver Nuggets (seven), Minnesota Timberwolves (five) and Pacers (seven). Only Golden State (88 in 2016-17) and the Bulls (87 in 2015-16) won more. It’s the second championship for the franchise. The Seattle SuperSonics won the NBA title in 1979; the team was moved to Oklahoma City in 2008. There’s nothing in the rafters in Oklahoma City to commemorate that title. For long-range shots, Dort had a 44.7 per cent success rate during the finals after having the best three-point shooting percentage of his career (41.2 per cent). Dort’s take on heading into game seven was simple. “It’s like the last day of school,” he said. “You go out there, give it your all.” With files from The Canadian Press.
