‘Anything I get is always going to be earned’: The purpose behind OKC Thunder star Lu Dort’s relentless edge

The NBA common season is within the rearview, the playoff bracket is set, and for the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, the journey again to the mountaintop actually begins.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will understandably command a lot of the highlight. The reigning NBA MVP – who is the frontrunner for the award but once more – is having a 31.1 ppg seasonhis fourth straight 12 months averaging over 30 a recreation.

But because the previous adage goes: Offense wins video games, protection wins championships.

And that is the place Lu Dort steps in.

The 6-foot-4 guard – who was chosen to the NBA All-Defensive First Team final season and placed fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting – he was a key cog within the OKC group that lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy as their main defensive stopper.

This season, the Thunder – who clinched the No. 1 seed in a troublesome Western Conference for the third straight season with a league-leading 64–18 file – unsurprisingly additionally had the No. 1-ranked defense but once more, with a ranking of 106.5.

And regardless of having a plethora of choices to make the most of on the defensive finish alongside Dort, together with 7-foot-1 Chet Holmgren and the ever-improving Cason Wallace, head coach Mark Daigneault nonetheless positioned the hardest assignments on the not too long ago turned 27-year-old’s broad shoulders.

The child who sat within the crowd and did not hear his identify known as at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on draft evening in 2019 hasn’t achieved too unhealthy for himself.

“My journey wasn’t easy,” Dort instructed CNN Sports forward 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.”

Bigger than basketball

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 perceive the place Dort is now, you will have to perceive the place he got here from. The aggressive fervor he brings to the courtroom each evening cannot be taught; the get-it-out-of-the-mud mentality he has cannot simply be developed like getting pictures up within the health club – you both have it or you do not.

That hearth inside Dort was lit manner again within the spring of ’99.

“Basketball was my way out,” he stated in The Players’ Tribune. Now, he is utilizing basketball to give again by way of The Maizon Dort Foundationa company he arrange to assist underserved communities in Montreal, Oklahoma City, and central Arizona, the place he spent a 12 months in school 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 instructed 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 someone’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 firstPitch 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 participant, however there’s far more in life. Kids don’t desire to be simply athletes, they need to accomplish that way more, and creativity is an enormous a part of life on the whole.

“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 time beyond regulation

For those that do need to strive to observe in Dort’s footsteps and pursue professional sports activities, the 27-year-old hosts an annual basketball camp each summer season by way of his basis, fittingly known as the “Lu The Beast Camp,” which has run yearly since 2021.

This summer season, nevertheless, appears to be like set to be particularly busy for him.

The NBA star has a deep ardour for soccer – a sport he performed rising up in Montreal earlier than choosing up basketball – and the timing could not be higher.

The upcoming FIFA World Cup is not solely being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and his beloved Canada, however he additionally has two horses within the race, as Haiti has additionally certified for the match for less than the second time, final showing on the Beautiful Game’s grandest stage again 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 defend) Alphonso Davies is the biggest star in soccer in Canada right now.

“Soccer is big, especially the World Cup. I feel like 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 read into another passion of his: fashion.

“I’m into style so much. It’s one other aspect 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 are rolling and how they work, would be amazing.

“We’ll see how the season ends, but I would definitely like to go over there.”

Keeping focus on the main thing

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 strive to remind myself of that each single time. It’s actually a mindset, a spotlight.”

That focus now shifts to Game 1 against the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center, where OKC’s raucous fans will be led up and ready.

“I said so many times we have the best fans and arena environment in the whole league.

“They know the way a lot we care about them, and we all know how a lot they care about us. It’s so enjoyable to play at residence. The vitality they create is loopy. We simply find it irresistible.”

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 planted firmly 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 group. Proud of among the stuff we have achieved to date, and pleased with among the stuff we’ll obtain once more.”

The playoffs are right here and Dort & Co. simply clocked in. Good luck stopping them.

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