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OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder guard Lu Dort has come a long way from an undrafted prospect to an NBA champion. Like his coach, Mark Daigneault, and some of his teammates, Dort’s journey began in the G League with the Oklahoma City Blue. Similar to Isaiah Hartenstein’s path through the G League, Lu made a name for himself before rising to the NBA, and eventually helped Oklahoma City beat the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals.
He’s coming off of his most impressive campaign in 2024-25, earning All-Defensive First Team honors before helping the Thunder hoist up its first championship in franchise history. After clinching his first NBA title, Dort reflected on his long road to becoming a champion.
“It’s crazy, looking back to my first year. I went undrafted six years ago. June 19 was the draft. That week was probably the worst week of my life,” Dort said. “You look now, June 22, 20225, it’s crazy how I still go back, and I had to trust the process. And how this organization gave me a great opportunity. I’m grateful and I’m happy to be here.”
The date of the 2019 NBA Draft is forever ingrained into Dort’s memory for a reason. It’s when he was at his lowest, entering uncharted waters with no guarantees of an NBA career. Thunder guard Lu Dort views his success as a testament to dedication and hard work through uncertain times, and advises young prospects who find themselves in a similar situation today.
“It’s possible and you gotta believe,” Dort said. “If you asked me 10-15 years ago, if I knew I’d be here, not at all. No chance. I just had to believe and work on my game. And really trust my process. If they do that, they have a chance.”
What moved Jalen Williams to tears after Thunder clinched title
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Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams also came a long way from a Santa Clara prospect to an All-NBA champion. After beating the Pacers, Williams looked back on his path with the Larry O’Brien trophy planted next to him.
“A lot of that emotion definitely hit me a little bit,” Williams said. “There’s a lot of stuff I don’t really speak on like everybody in the room. So, a lot of emotion from that kind of hit me to be able to push through. Coming from not being known in college to 3-4 years later being an NBA champion, and having an impact on a championship team is God’s gift for sure. So, it’s been really cool to get that, so it was a rush of emotion.”
Williams says seeing his mom crying toward the end of Game 7 against the Pacers drove him to tears.
