Luguentz Dort, humble to the roots

Where is Luguentz Dort? We search for him as best we can in the gymnasium of Saint-Laurent High School, where the Elite 5 camp organized by his foundation is being held. We realize after a good ten minutes that he was right there, before our eyes.

Dort wears the same polo shirt, the same colors as the coaches on site. He teases the youngsters, shakes hands, engages in duels with the participants. “Escaped” on a plastic chair, he eats Lebanese food with the others.

If it weren’t for the giant posters of him, you might think he was just another coach. But the man standing before us is one of the best defensive players in the NBA.

Spending a lot of time with his family in Montreal North allows Luguentz Dort to keep both feet on the ground, whether he’s a star or not. In the metropolis, he’s increasingly accosted in the street by curious onlookers. However, less so than in Oklahoma City (population 700,000), where “all the buzz is about the team.” Which just goes to show that no one is a prophet in their own country.

Grant luck to others

If there’s one thing Dort wants the kids to take away from this camp, it’s patience. “At this age, no matter how hard you work, things take time to happen. If you want to be invited to big camps, you have to keep believing, you have to trust in the work.”

Dort offers this advice because he himself was impatient growing up. Talented, he was convinced he could compete at the level of American players. He constantly asked his coaches to enroll him in camps in the United States.

“It wasn’t bad, but that’s not how basketball works,” he said. “You have to wait for your invitation.”

By organizing his camp, Dort ensures that the young people do not have to wait, unlike him. There are about fifty of the most gifted high school students in Quebec, who come together to hone their skills. Meals and accommodation are provided.

“The fact that I haven’t been able to experience what they’re going through right now allows me to put myself in their shoes. I watch them play, and I see myself in them,” confides the Thunder’s number 5.

At the same age, Dort attended three different high schools. He struggled with learning disabilities. So he uses his camp to offer young people lessons that go beyond the basket. In small adjoining classes at the gym, personal finance classes are offered.

Their teachers were not chosen at random: they are Luguentz Dort’s own financial advisors. One practices his profession in Canada, the other in the United States.

“The rules are different in both countries, and I wanted to make sure that young people could understand them,” Dort said.

For advisors, there are worse clients to find. The Quebecer signed a contract worth $87.5 million in 2022, the most lucrative ever signed by an athlete from the province. But you would never guess that by being around him.

“It doesn’t matter how much money young people make in life. But at the end of the day, they have to be able to keep that money,” Dort says.

Flourishing in Paris

When it comes to his participation in the Paris Olympics, the twinkle in Luguentz Dort’s eye is evidence that he is anything but a disillusioned millionaire. He gets as excited as the youngsters who are having a blast on the field.

“It was sick. It was a really, really great experience,” he enthuses. “We had watched videos to prepare us and everything, but when I set foot in the Olympic Village, […] It was almost like a video game.”

On the court, however, the Canadian basketball team suffered a rather disappointing outcome, being eliminated in the quarterfinals. “It’s tough,” Dort admitted. “You work for four years, to play four little games, and then you realize it’s all over.”

Canada was defeated by France in the quarter-finals in a one-sided encounter, despite the Maple Leaf having prevailed in the previous match between the two teams.

“They were able to adjust, and we weren’t,” Dort said. “Because we had beaten them several times, we were a little too comfortable. I really have no complaints; they really played their part game and we don’t.”

Luguentz Dort already has his sights set on Los Angeles and the 2028 games. “I’ll be there 100 percent. And the rest of the team, too. We’re really committed to what’s next. We want to win.”

True to her identify

Other challenges, just as exciting, await Luguentz Dort starting in October. The Oklahoma City Thunder finished last season in first place in the Western Conference. The young team had then “surprised the basketball world “.

“We know it will be difficult to do again,” Dort agrees.

On a personal level, he prefers not to set any specific goals, other than to remain faithful to the identity he has built for himself, both on and off the court.

“I want to do everything I can to help the team win. I play with a lot of intensity, a lot of strength,” he describes.

“That will never change for me.”