Latest news with #LuguentzDort
CBC
24-07-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Childhood in Montréal-Nord, draft snub turned Luguentz Dort into NBA champion
Social Sharing 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. WATCH | Rapid-fire questions with Lu Dort: 7 questions with Luguentz Dort, Montreal's recently crowned NBA champion 4 minutes ago 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.
CTV News
23-07-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
NBA Champion Lu Dort embraces his Montreal North roots
"The Dorture Chamber" Luguentz Dort says he's proud to represent Montreal North with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA. (Daniel J. Rowe/CTV News) 'Toughness, competitors, hungry.' They are the three words Luguentz 'Lu' Dort used to describe Montreal North basketball and how multiple players from the borough between highways 25 and 19, on the shores of the Riviere-des-Prairies, have made it to the heights of basketball in the NBA. 'That's just the way we grew up,' said the Oklahoma City Thunder guard and NBA All-Defensive First Team winner. 'Obviously, our parents immigrated from different countries. We are so blessed to grow up in a country like this and every time we go somewhere we're always happy to represent.' Dort joined fellow Montreal Norther Chris Boucher as an NBA Champion this year. Boucher won with the Toronto Raptors in 2019. Dort went face-to-face in the finals with childhood friend from the neighbourhood, Benedict Mathurin, of the Indiana Pacers. 'It means a lot,' said Dort, of winning the title. 'Wherever I go, I always represent Montreal North and I'm doing a lot for my community. They've been supporting me throughout this whole ride, especially throughout the playoff run and it'll be great to bring it [the trophy] back here.' Dort, at six feet four inches tall and weighing 220 pounds, always punches above his weight. In round two of the NBA playoffs, he regularly guarded six foot 11 inches tall and three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. 'I don't really look at the size,' said the man with the nickname 'The Dorture Chamber.' 'I feel like I belong on the court with anyone and whenever I see a guy taller than me, I know it'll be a challenge.' Lu Dort Luguentz Dort speaks about growing up in Montreal North and representing the borough in the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder. (Daniel J. Rowe/CTV News) Kevin Mondésir trains Dort. He said Dort's mental toughness equals his physical strength. 'It's his mindset; the way he approaches things and the way he sees things also. He wants that challenge,' said Mondésir. Montreal continues to produce players who have made it to the NBA. Jahmyl Telfort's rights were acquired by the LA Clippers this year, and Olivier-Maxence Prosper was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 2023. Dort echoed other voices, saying that Montreal has the talent and the audience to have an NBA team in the future. 'There's a lot of people here in Montreal who love basketball,' said Dort. 'And then, you know, talent. I mean, we have so many kids from Montreal that play in high school now, and that play in college, and a lot of them are in NBA as well. I really think it's possible. Obviously, I'll be involved in that one day.'
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Oklahoma City Thunder's Luguentz Dort roots for his hometown CF Montreal against Lionel Messi's Inter Miami
CF Montreal v Inter Miami CF WHAT HAPPENED Luguentz Dort, fresh off winning the 2025 NBA championship with the Oklahoma City Thunder, made a special appearance at Stade Saputo for CF Montreal's highly anticipated match against Inter Miami. During a pre-match ceremony, CF Montreal presented the Montreal-Nord native with a personalized club jersey featuring his name and his iconic No. 5. Advertisement WHAT CF MONTREAL POSTED THE BIGGER PICTURE Dort's appearance represents a significant moment of hometown pride for Montreal's sporting community after helping the Thunder secure their first NBA championship. Dort's journey from the courts of Montreal-Nord to NBA champion exemplifies the growing impact of Canadian basketball talent on the global stage. Born to Haitian immigrants in Montreal, Dort grew up playing on the same courts where he now funds youth programs, including those at Saint-Laurent Park in Montreal-Nord. WHAT'S NEXT? CF Montreal remain in 15th place on the Eastern Conference table following their loss to Miami, well behind a place for a playoff spot. The Canadian side faces Forge in the quarter-final of the Canadian Championship next on July 9 and then goes on the road to face Orlando City in the MLS on July 12.
CTV News
27-06-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
This is the latest Montreal baller heading to the NBA
Butler forward Jahmyl Telfort (11) plays against Marquette in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. (Michael Conroy/The Associated Press) Another Montrealer has been picked up by an NBA team. Forward Jahmyl Telfort's rights were acquired by the LA Clippers after the NBA Entry Draft on Friday. The 6′7″, 225-pound senior who played his college ball with the Butler Bulldogs averaged 16 points a game, 4.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists as a senior. He started in 28 of 31 games for the Bulldogs. The terms of Telfort's contract are unknown. The Montreal North native moved with his family to Boucherville, Que. where he played high school ball at De Moortagne High School before moving to Toronto and then the NCAA. Telfort is the latest talent from Montreal North to draw attention from the NBA. NBA champion Luguentz 'Lu' Dort of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacer Bennedict Mathurin (who lost to Dort in the finals) are both from the borough, in addition to a handful of other players.
Globe and Mail
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Globe and Mail
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's NBA victory could inspire the next generation of Canadian basketball
Like many Canadians, Michael Bartlett watched Game 7 of the NBA Finals with bated breath. But as Canada Basketball's president and CEO, he had a unique rooting interest, with players on both teams. Hamilton's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Montreal's Luguentz Dort helped the Oklahoma City Thunder capture their first-ever championship, defeating Andrew Nembhard of Aurora, Ont., and Montreal's Bennedict Mathurin of the Indiana Pacers. Bartlett said he was thrilled for all four Canadians, no matter who came out on top. 'Oh, it was uncontrollable at times,' said Bartlett in a phone interview on Monday morning. 'I looked up, it was 4:50 left on the clock in Game 7 last night, and four Canadians are on the court playing meaningful minutes in crunch time with the ball in their hands. Gosh, that's exciting. 'There's nothing better than seeing people you care about, truly care about, and they care about you, shine when they have the opportunity to shine.' Bartlett said all of Canada Basketball's staff were exchanging texts throughout the climactic game, which Oklahoma City ultimately won 103-91. Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort are the 11th and 12th Canadians to win an NBA title, and Bartlett believes the experience gained by all four players will benefit Canada's senior men's team. 'They're learning how to win on the toughest of stages, which you also can't help but draw a connection to when we're in a tough situation, a game on the line, winner goes home,' he said. Gilgeous-Alexander, in particular, will be a key to Canada's future success. He became the fourth player in league history to win the scoring title, MVP, NBA championship and Finals MVP in the same season, joining Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, and Shaquille O'Neal. How Canadian NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander began charting his path to MVP when he was a teen Rowan Barrett, the general manager of Canada's men's senior basketball team, said Gilgeous-Alexander's experience in the post-season will help him in international competition because, through each round of the playoffs, he faced the opposing team's toughest defenders. 'It's got to help your national team at some point when he's back in the fold playing,' said Barrett. 'Those experiences, the pressure, the different ways they try to guard him, the different ways you've got to bring your teammates along while balancing attacking the defence every possession, all those things, I think are going to help him. 'I think it will help the other players that were playing in the Finals as well.' Gilgeous-Alexander was selected 11th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2018 NBA Draft but was traded the same day to the Los Angeles Clippers. After one season in L.A., he was sent to Oklahoma City in a blockbuster deal that brought all-star guard Paul George to the Clippers. TSN basketball commentator Tamika Nurse, who is also from Hamilton, said that how Gilgeous-Alexander carries himself through difficult times perfectly embodies the Ontario city's ethos. 'Hamilton is built on blue-collar workers, Steeltown, they call it,' she said. 'A lunch pail and hard hat kinda town, and that's exactly what he is. 'He really had to work hard. He really had to prove some doubters wrong. This is a guy who was drafted and then traded and then traded again, right?' Shai Gilgeous-Alexander conquered the NBA. Now, he's conquering the fashion world Michael Naraine, an associate professor of sport management at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., said Gilgeous-Alexander's season, one of the best ever by a Canadian in any sport, and the Finals performances of Dort, Nembhard and Mathurin have created a unique opportunity for Canada Basketball. Naraine sees it as similar to the creation of the Toronto Raptors in 1995, the emergence of Vince Carter as a superstar in the late 1990s, Steve Nash's back-to-back MVPs in 2005 and 2006, and the Raptors' NBA championship in 2019. 'It's going to create another wave of people wanting to pick up the game and that's going to be both on the men's and women's side, boys and girls are going to want to pick up the game because they see that the No. 1 men's professional basketball player in the world right now is Canadian,' said Naraine. 'If you are living in Montreal, if you're living in Dorval, you're looking at this going well, you know, our Canadian teams in hockey didn't do so great. 'But then you're looking at Dort or Mathurin saying, 'hey, look, here's this kid with these Haitian roots, growing up in Montreal. That could be me.'' Bartlett also compared these NBA Finals to those other moments in Canadian basketball history that fed into the growing popularity of the sport. 'We want there to be no shortage of opportunities for kids at all skill levels to be able to play this game and to stay in love and play this game for as long as they want,' said Bartlett. 'What does that look like for somebody who's still involved in the game (in their 40s), either as a player, as a coach, as an official. 'Are there enough great coaches, well-trained coaches, to teach the game the right way in Canada, in gyms across this country? Canada Basketball can't be in every gym, but we can develop a curriculum that lives through every gym, that coaches are taught the right way, and then officiating as well. That's a big part of it, too.'
