At 1 a.m. on July 6, 2019, the news broke that the Thunder were trading Paul George. It was evident within hours this was the end of an era in Thunder history and that this blockbuster trade would also lead to the departure of our beloved Russell Westbrook.
About twelve hours later, at 1:30 p.m., the Thunder put out a press release announcing that they were signing an undrafted rookie named Luguentz Dort. On this emotional day for Thunder fans, the timing was perhaps less than ideal. The announcement of Dort’s signing may have seemed a jarring answer to the news of the morning. What anyone could hardly have imagined was that the seeds had just been planted for our city’s first championship.
Four days after Dort’s signing, on July 10th, the Paul George trade was officially announced by the teams involved, and a second Canadian - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - officially joined Lu to begin a new chapter in Thunder history. Fans will have to be forgiven for failing to realize that four days in July, 2019 had just secured the core of a championship team.
Lu would become the longest-tenured player on the 2025 NBA Champions and would set the tone early for the team’s rise to that moment, starting with a spirited breakout performance in the 2020 playoffs.
Lu Dort was not just one of the 18 young men who brought Oklahoma City its first title in 2025, he was a key leader and contributor, and always a fan favorite for his suffocating defense on opponents. The Dorture Chamber will long live in Thunder mythology. Lu Dort will long live in Oklahoma City history.
We wish Lu Dort all the best in this next chapter of his professional basketball journey, and he will always have a home in OKC.
Zlatan Ibrahimović: "And this is also my farewell to the studio."
Rebecca Lowe: "It is?"
Zlatan: "This was the first and last time for me. So, take care, everybody." ⚽️📺🎙️ #WorldCup#Fox
@YourFriendKyle_ Especially after telling everybody it’s “Our Game” and a “love letter to college football” 🤣🤣 time is ticking we will see if they own up to the mistake
🚨🇺🇸 Zlatan Ibrahimović on Malik Tillman’s Stunning Free Kick
“That is why football is beautiful. You lose a player, everyone expects you to suffer, but then one man walks over the ball with ice in his veins. Tillman didn’t just score a free kick—he killed Bosnia’s belief. The wall was there, the goalkeeper was ready, but perfection doesn’t ask for permission. It simply happens. That is world-class.”
“People think free kicks are about power. No. They are about personality. The ball listens only to players who have complete confidence in themselves. Tillman struck it like he already knew where it was going before his foot touched it. That’s not luck—that’s elite quality.”
“When you are down to ten men, every goal counts double because it crushes the opponent’s spirit. Bosnia thought they had life after the red card. Then Tillman reminded them that one moment of brilliance is enough to finish a World Cup tie. That’s the difference between surviving… and dominating.” 👑
#USABIH
That’s it, for the rest of the Cup I’m watching everything on Telemundo.
This destroys the Fox crew who successfully put me to sleep before this even happened tonight.