MONTREAL – From undrafted free agent to NBA champion, Oklahoma City Thunder guard and Montreal native Luguentz Dort has been enjoying quite the ride, having established himself as a defensive cornerstone while also growing into an effective weapon on offense.
Dort was the Habs' special guest celebrity at the 2025 NHL Draft in Los Angeles, where he helped break the news of Montreal’s draft day acquisition of defenseman Noah Dobson. The Canadiens content team caught up with the 6-foot-4, 220-pound guard in LA to find out about his interest in hockey, his thoughts on the growing love for basketball in Montreal, and more.
Please note that questions and answers have been modified for clarity and conciseness.
Are you a big Canadiens fan? If so, for how long, and how did you start watching hockey?
Yes, I’m a big Canadiens fan. I started watching hockey when I was really young. I played a little bit. I really started following when they went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021.
Who’s your favorite player?
I really like Cole Caufield. I’ve been watching him for awhile, since he arrived.
Congratulations on winning the NBA championship! How has the whole experience been for you?
It’s been pretty great, it’s a pretty big thing [to win the NBA title]. Our team really wanted to accomplish it, and we succeeded. I’m really happy right now.
We [the Thunder] got there [to Oklahoma City] in 2008. Since then, they’ve had a lot of playoff runs, but they’ve never been able to win the championship. I’m happy to be part of the team that was able to do it.
The Thunder may be relatively new to Oklahoma City, but the fan base is passionate, and the team is hugely popular. Do you see some similarities between that and how people love the Canadiens in Montreal?
Definitely, they’re a bit similar. I would say Canadiens fans are more intense, just because the Canadiens have been there a long time. But our fans are really great.
There were a number of Canadian players in the Final this year. Have you noticed a shift in how popular basketball has become in Canada more recently?
Basketball has been really growing in Canada, and especially Quebec, for years now. People are talking about our Olympic team, too; we’re really good. [...] I feel like basketball is growing.
On top of being a hockey city, basketball is very popular in Montreal. What are your thoughts on seeing more pro ball in the city, be it NBA preseason games, more G League games like we had last season, or WNBA?
I think it’s really cool. The NBA has definitely made an effort to bring more basketball to Canada and to Quebec. There are definitely a lot of talented Quebec players that love playing basketball. I would love for the NBA to be able to bring a team to Montreal one day.
Last year, Celine Dion announced our draft pick in Las Vegas. This year, you were the guest of honor. How was it to get the call and to be chosen for this?
I was really happy. I got the call while we were in the middle of playing in the Final. It took me a bit of time to decide at first, because I was really focused on our games, but I’m really honored and very happy to be here [in Los Angeles]. There have definitely been some big names for this, like Celine Dion last year, and I was really happy to get the call.
