Childhood in Montréal-Nord, draft snub turned Luguentz Dort into NBA champion
When the clock hit zero, kicking off celebrations with his teammates after clinching the NBA title, Luguentz Dort's thoughts were dominated by his family and his memories growing up in Montréal Nord.
"I was thinking about my whole — everything honestly, my whole childhood," Dort said. "My family got to come on stage with me and then celebrate that as well. It was a moment I'll never forget."
Later this summer, Dort will be bringing the NBA trophy home to Montréal-Nord next month after winning an NBA title with the Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games versus the Indiana Pacers.
"I feel like they deserve that because they've been supporting me all season," he told CBC's Daybreak Thursday morning.
People in Montréal-Nord had the opportunity to see two of its neighbourhood heroes during the finals.
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Dort was facing off against Bennedict Mathurin of the Indiana Pacers — a close friend of his — essentially guaranteeing a big celebration for the city, but specifically the borough he grew up in.
Dort said he phoned Mathurin when he found out the Pacers had made it to the finals, calling it "insane."
"Me and Ben, you know, spend a lot of time together during the off-season, we train together as well. So like, to be in there where like 'I'm not even talking to you,' like we was at that point like 'You not my friend no more,'" Dort said laughing.
Earlier this year, Dort was also named to the NBA's All-Defensive First Team, an honour recognizing his skill as a defensive player during the regular season.
Dort joined the Thunder in 2019 after teams passed up on him at the NBA draft — despite the fact he had been projected as a first-round pick.
The hurt and disappointment from that night has helped develop into a key cog on a championship team.
"That's a day that I will never forget," he said of the 2019 NBA draft.
"It's always a motivation every time I face a team that had the chance to draft me. But at the same time, it shaped me as a player and helped me, you know, get to where I am today."
Dort won't just be back in Montreal to celebrate the NBA championship win.
He runs a basketball camp in the city, with hopes of giving potential future NBA stars opportunities he didn't have as a younger player.
"Growing up, I used to travel a lot to go those elite camps in L.A. or Houston or all those big cities," he said.
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