MONTREAL — Luguentz Dort went back to where it all started on Thursday afternoon, celebrating his NBA championship with a wild, joyful parade through his home neighbourhood.
The Oklahoma City Thunder swingman hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy high while cruising in a Lamborghini as hundreds of cheering fans — and Haitian marching band “Rara Jazz de Montréal” — followed along rue Charleroi in the city’s Montreal North borough.
The streets flooded with locals, Dort jumped out of the car to walk among a crowd of cameras and supporters to Parc Pilon, where hundreds more waited to welcome back their native son.
“Any success I have, I want to share with my people,” Dort said. “There’s not a lot of us that get to make it to the big stage. As soon as we won, I was like, ‘Yeah, I gotta come back home, especially where I grew up.”
Before the parade, Dort retraced his roots, stopping by Parc Saint-Laurent and the blacktop that shaped him as a hooper, then sitting in front of his childhood home to reflect on his journey to the NBA’s pinnacle.
Meanwhile, dozens of kids, many sporting Dort’s OKC No. 5, lined up for their turn to play pickup basketball at Parc Pilon.
Others held signs reading “Lu the champ” — a nod to his “LuTheBeast” nickname — and “Mtl-Nord fier de son champion,” which translates to “Mtl-North proud of its champion."
And the booming chants of “Lu! Lu! Lu!” — or the extended “Luuuuu!” — grew louder as Dort addressed a crowd lined with Haitian and Quebec flags.
"He's a guy from Montreal who made it to the league,” said fan Eden Elisma, draped in Dort’s jersey. “He's an inspiration, a role model of perseverance.
“He gives us hope. That's the main thing. Hope and pride.”
Alongside Canadian MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort helped lead the Thunder to the NBA title in June with a seven-game series win over the Indiana Pacers, a team that featured fellow Montrealer Bennedict Mathurin.
Dort and Mathurin grew up only blocks apart in the hardscrabble borough, home to one of Canada’s largest Haitian communities.
“It's hard to make it to the NBA from this neighbourhood, and honestly the fact that I did it and that I'm here right now in front of them, it's a belief for them,” Dort said. "At a young age, coming from here, I didn’t have a specific guide to look at, to be like ‘I want to be like them.’ To be in this position in the kids’ eyes today, it’s huge.
“I'm a young person who grew up in Montreal North too, I worked hard. We speak the same way. I'm of Haitian descent, like many young people here.”
The 26-year-old Dort has given back for several years through his Maizon Dort Foundation, helping revamp the courts at Parc Saint-Laurent last summer.
A day earlier, Dort signed Montreal’s “Livre d’Or” during a special visit to City Hall. Mayor Valérie Plante recognized the homegrown talent for his community work and on-court achievements.
Dort became the fourth player from Montreal to win an NBA title, joining Bill Wennington (Chicago Bulls, 1996 to 1998), Joel Anthony (Miami Heat, 2012 and 2013) and Chris Boucher (Toronto Raptors, 2019).
He was also the most impactful Montrealer on a championship team.
A starter for the Thunder, Dort regularly takes on the most challenging defensive assignments as a suffocating on-ball defender.
This past season, the six-foot-four Dort was named to the All-NBA defensive first-team and placed fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He also scored 10 points per game on a talent-packed OKC.
"Lu Dort isn't the most athletic or tall player, but when he's on the floor he plays bigger than he is,” said fan Kenny Dien. “He always puts it all on the floor, gives his 100 per cent, and it's really the theme of this city, grit and effort.”
Dort embodies the underdog spirit, having been passed up by the entire league at the 2019 draft. Since signing a two-way contract with OKC that year, he has piled up more than US$51 million in career earnings.
“He grinded more than most,” said fan Bradley Gabaud. “He has that resiliency that you would want in yourself. I saw it in him when I was younger. As a player, he's one of the best at what he does.
“It's very inspiring.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
