Fan favorite Thunder wing Lu Dort is now an Adidas athlete, Boardroom’s Nick DePaula can exclusively confirm.
Luguentz Dort has come a long way.
The 22-year-old Montreal native came out of Arizona State as a wing who could get to the rim, play with intensity, and work and defend his ass off. Though that wasn’t enough to get drafted in 2019 after one year with the Sun Devils. The 6-foot-5 Dort signed a two-way contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder, scrapping just to get onto an NBA court.
And now, after proving himself as an absolute grinder, announcing himself to an international NBA audience in the 2020 playoffs, and starting 52 games last season, Lu Dort is officially an Adidas athlete, as exclusively confirmed by Boardroom’s Nick DePaula.
Dort quickly proved himself with the OKC Blue, averaging nearly 20 points and five rebounds per game before making his NBA debut with the Thunder in December. By the time Jan. 20 hit, Dort was in the starting lineup for good, bringing his defensive tenacity next to the backcourt of Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Dort was an immediate success, with OKC going 26-10 in games he played and 20-8 when he started.
By the time the playoffs at the NBA bubble in Orlando came along, Dort was known as a defensive stopper. He went toe-to-toe with James Harden during their first-round playoff series. And though the Thunder fell to Houston in seven games, the legend of Lu Dort was born.
Now, Lu Dort takes a major step in his NBA career in signing a sneaker deal with The Three Stripes. He’s worn Adidas dating back to his AAU days with Brookwood Elite and continued the trend as a Sun Devil. It was only natural.
Today, it’s official.
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In an expanded role in his second season, Dort averaged 14 points and 3.6 rebounds per game for the Thunder, upping his three-point percentage to 34.3 after converting at 29.7% the season before. And as he grows his game and further proves his importance to the Oklahoma City franchise, the effervescence he showcased during his breakout performances in the Orlando bubble figures to grow as well.
Assuming he’s not defending your team’s favorite player.
