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.
I declare that this week is blessed. Every day of this week has already been ordained by God for my good. I will experience His hand in undeniable ways. My labor will not be in vain, and the favor of God surrounds me wherever I go. I walk confidently, knowing that God is ordering my steps and causing all things to work together for my good.
This is why I want to be rich. I’d hire a team to go out once a month and hit like 10-15 grocery stores in low income neighborhoods. Food delivery to places with food deserts. This gets my blood moving.
BREAKING: The Oklahoma City Thunder trading All-Defensive wing Lu Dort to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal that sends three second-round picks to OKC, former No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher to the Dallas Mavericks and Ryan Nembhard to Atlanta, sources tell ESPN.
Utah Jazz guard Trey Alexander was taken from the court on a stretcher Monday night after appearing to injure his side on a drive to the basket in an NBA summer league game against the Chicago Bulls. https://t.co/NAYyhpPIN7
It's a historic day in #OKPreps recruiting as #Sooners CB commit @Osbornegabe5 earns 5-star status to give the state two five-star prospects - joining @CooperHackett65.
Congrats to Gabe and all the folks at @1BroncoFootball.
MORE on Osborne's meteoric rise: https://t.co/BYoaxX1Or7
Let a white girl go missing and the last person to see her was 3 black men that she had an argument with.. and the men got her phone.. texts were deleted… and she wind up dead.. You think the police would find “no foul play”?
Oklahoma City still holds a special place for Chris Paul ❤️
“It was so dope to get a chance to go back after that, ’cause obviously I got drafted to the New Orleans Hornets when [Hurricane] Katrina happened, and a lot of people don’t realize I won Rookie of the Year in Oklahoma. I got my Rookie of the Year trophy in Oklahoma City, and then the next year I played in Oklahoma again. So when I went back in 2019–20 after being in the league for, what, 13 years at that point, 14 years, it was just an appreciation that I have for the city, I think that they have for me, and to get a chance to be a part of that was real cool.”
(Via @playmaker) | #ThunderUp