The NBA regular season is in the rearview, the playoff bracket is set, and for the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, the journey back to the mountaintop really begins.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will understandably command much of the spotlight. The reigning NBA MVP – who is the frontrunner for the award yet again – is having a 31.1 ppg season, his fourth straight year averaging over 30 a game.
But as the old adage goes: Offense wins games, defense wins championships.
And that’s where Lu Dort steps in.
The 6-foot-4 guard – who was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team last season and placed fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting – was a key cog in the OKC team that lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy as their primary defensive stopper.
This season, the Thunder – who clinched the No. 1 seed in a tough Western Conference for the third straight season with a league-leading 64–18 record – unsurprisingly also had the No. 1-ranked defense yet again, with a rating of 106.5.
And despite having a plethora of options to utilize on the defensive end alongside Dort, including 7-foot-1 Chet Holmgren and the ever-improving Cason Wallace, head coach Mark Daigneault still placed the toughest assignments on the recently turned 27-year-old’s broad shoulders.
The kid who sat in the crowd and didn’t hear his name called at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on draft night in 2019 hasn’t done too bad for himself.
“My journey wasn’t easy,” Dort told CNN Sports ahead of the playoffs. “There’s not a lot of kids that make it to the NBA from Montreal, so just that step was big.
“And the fact that this organization and (Thunder Executive Vice President & General Manager) Sam Presti trusted in me when I went undrafted and gave me a chance.
“It’s been a lot of blocks, and I’m trying to step over them every time. But if I had to talk back to the younger Lu as of right now, I’m real proud of him.”
For Dort, it’s about more than just making an impact on the hardwood. The journey from undrafted prospect in 2019 to becoming an NBA champion in 2025 was only half the story.
He was born and raised in Montreal – specifically in a borough called Montréal-Nord – to parents who immigrated from Haiti to Canada in their 20s. As he wrote in The Players’ Tribune: “Seeing everything they had to go through to start a new life, I learned that everything has to be earned through hard work. Nothing’s given. Words I live by.”
To understand where Dort is now, you have to understand where he came from. The competitive fervor he brings to the court every night can’t be taught; the get-it-out-the-mud mentality he has can’t just be developed like getting shots up in the gym – you either have it or you don’t.
That fire inside Dort was lit way back in the spring of ’99.
“Basketball was my way out,” he said in The Players’ Tribune. Now, he’s using basketball to give back through The Maizon Dort Foundation, an organization he set up to support underserved communities in Montreal, Oklahoma City, and central Arizona, where he spent a year in college with the Arizona State Sun Devils in 2018.
“When I made it to the league, my biggest goal was to go back to my community and give back,” he told CNN.
“I didn’t think I would be in this position one day. And I feel like when I was young, I wish I would have been part of somebody’s foundation, or community events that could stick (with me) for the rest of my life.
“So whenever I have a chance to give back to my community, I always do it and it’s always great to do it.”
Dort’s foundation not only provides opportunities through sports, but also through creative expression and academic support – because there’s another side to the grit and grind of that fierce competitor we see on the court.
The foundations first “Pitch Day,” hosted on April 3 in Oklahoma City, highlighted the duality of Dort. With the NBA star in attendance, organizations presented ideas for “Creation Stations,” with the winner receiving up to $20,000 in funding to support local students.
“I’m a learner, and I’m really curious to learn a lot and create at the same time,” he explained.
“Obviously, I’m a basketball player, but there’s way more in life. Kids don’t want to be just athletes, they want to do so much more, and creativity is a big part of life in general.
“So to be able to open that door for them is great and I’m really big on that. The Pitch Day was amazing and some of the stuff presented was great.”
An offseason of overtime
For those who do want to try to follow in Dort’s footsteps and pursue pro sports, the 27-year-old hosts an annual basketball camp every summer through his foundation, fittingly called the “Lu The Beast Camp,” which has run every year since 2021.
This summer, however, looks set to be especially busy for him.
The NBA star has a deep passion for soccer – a sport he played growing up in Montreal before picking up basketball – and the timing couldn’t be better.
The upcoming FIFA World Cup is not only being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and his beloved Canada, but he also has two horses in the race, as Haiti has also qualified for the tournament for only the second time, last appearing on the Beautiful Game’s grandest stage back in 1974.
“Obviously, both of my countries are in, so if I have the chance to go to any game – especially Canada or Haiti – I would go.”
“I also know a couple players. Me and (Haiti striker Duckens) Nazon have been cool for a long time, and (Bayern Munich defender) Alphonso Davies is the biggest star in soccer in Canada right now.
“Soccer is big, especially the World Cup. I feel like at a young age everybody used to watch the World Cup.
“So now, it’s not too far in America and Canada, it would be great to go see them play.”
And if Dort’s offseason schedule wasn’t busy enough, he also likes to use that time to lean into another passion of his: fashion.
“I’m into fashion a lot. It’s another side of creativity of mine,” he highlighted.
“I’m looking forward to attending shows (in Paris and New York), and continuing to explore brands like Thom Browne, Willy Chavarria, Ralph Lauren, Rick Owens, Calvin Klein, and others.
“To see some of these brands, how they be rolling and how they work, would be amazing.
“We’ll see how the season ends, but I would definitely like to go over there.”
A foundation supporting underserved youths across two countries; a timely passion for soccer with two national teams playing at this summer’s World Cup; and a love for fashion that will take him within a few feet of runways in the US and across the Atlantic.
It’s so much bigger than basketball for Lu Dort.
But through it all, he never forgets what put him in the position where he is today. “I don’t get a lot of stuff I got now without basketball – basketball is always going to be number one no matter what,” he explained.
“I try to try to remind myself of that every single time. It’s really a mindset, a focus.”
That focus now shifts to Game 1 against the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center, where OKC’s raucous fans will be riled up and ready.
“I said so many times we have the best fans and arena environment in the whole league.
“They know how much we care about them, and we know how much they care about us. It’s so fun to play at home. The energy they bring is crazy. We just love it.”
And they love him. Because, as noted earlier, this is a get-it-out-the-mud type of guy.
“Earned not given” – the mantra he lives by.
So beware when driving to the basket – that handle better be extra tight. Have your feet firmly planted and keep your head on a swivel when setting that screen. And be ready to pull the trigger extra quickly from beyond the arc – because “The Dorture Chamber” is back for business. Not that it was ever closed, but it runs a bit differently this time of year.
“What we did last year was big, but we have a chance to do it again and, obviously, we’ll go for it.
“I’m proud to be on this team. Proud of some of the stuff we’ve achieved so far, and proud of some of the stuff we’ll achieve again.”
The playoffs are here and Dort & Co. just clocked in. Good luck stopping them. —CNN
