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Clad in a blue warmup with THUNDER across his back, Lu Dort walked off the court and into a tunnel as the final guitar strains of “Oklahoma Sky” played.
The farther he walked, the darker it got until he was no more.
Then on the screen: THANK YOU, OKC.
Thus ended a four-minute video recently released by the Thunder defensive dynamo who was traded this offseason from Oklahoma City to Atlanta. For a guy not exactly known for public displays of emotion, much less affection, the tribute spoke volumes.
Lu hearts OKC.
And frankly, the feeling is mutual.
All of which begs an intriguing question: Should the Thunder retire Dort’s jersey?
More: Former OKC Thunder stalwart Lu Dort shares emotional goodbye after trade to Hawks
If you look only at his stats, the answer would be resounding — no. During his Thunder career, he averaged less than a dozen points a game, shot just better than 40% and had a player efficiency rating of only 10.6, well below the league average of 15. But there are several factors at play in this situation that make his chances of a jersey retirement less of a slam dunk and more of a Lu Dort 3-point attempt.
Very much up in the air.
First of all, the Thunder is not a franchise with a long, storied history. It very much has a storied history, including an NBA title and four MVPs, but it isn’t a long one. The team hasn’t even existed for two decades, so precedents are still being established and history is still being written.
It’s not like the Celtics, who have retired 24 numbers and pretty much all of the players are Hall of Famers or will be at some point. There’s a standard in Boston, and if you aren’t among the best players on the planet, it’s difficult to join the club.
Now, the Thunder has some future Hall of Famers who will one day have their jerseys retired in Oklahoma City — and yes, Kevin Durant will be among them — but it’s not like the franchise has a bunch of them already hanging from the rafters.
Truth be told, it only has one jersey there.
Nick Collison is the lone Thunder to have his jersey retired so far, and even though the tough-as-nails big man was nicknamed Mr. Thunder, he was a superstar teammate, not a superstar. A legendary human, not a legendary player.
But Collison had his jersey retired by the Thunder because of the attitude he brought and the culture he cultivated when the franchise was just taking root in OKC. People around the league might not get it, but almost no one in the 405 batted an eye, much less rolled one when Collison was enshrined.
The thing is, the Thunder retiring the jersey of a role player like Collison opens the door wide for Dort.
The two had similar impact in key categories.
Longevity: Collison played in OKC for 10 seasons, Dort for seven. But I’d argue that Dort’s years were more impactful, and not just because of the NBA title. He started for six and a half of the seven years he was a Thunder while Collison was largely a backup during his OKC tenure.
Fan favorite: No doubt there will be a chorus of “Luuuuuuu”s when Dort and the Hawks visit Oklahoma City for the first time next season. And quite honestly, that refrain will likely repeat every time he comes back.
More: Where have former OKC Thunder players landed during 2026 NBA offseason?
Dort’s tenacity and toughness endeared him to Thunder fans from his earliest days. Much like Collison, who famously took an elbow to the head that left blood streaming down his face but that he played through until the referees finally noticed, Dort didn’t back down from anyone. Not James Harden. Not Luka Dončić. Not Nikola Jokić. And anyone who loves the Thunder will always love Dort for that.
Contributions: Here’s where Dort and Collison are even more similar. Collison had a huge impact on helping the Thunder establish its culture in the early days while Dort did the same at the start of the team’s rebuild.
He was a rookie the season after OKC traded away Russell Westbrook and Paul George. The identity of the next iteration of the Thunder was unknown, and while it soon became clear the offense would lean into players moving and flowing and spacing with Mark Daigneault leading the way and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander conducting the offense, the defensive approach was more uncertain.
Dort brought clarity — the Thunder would be a defensive doberman, attacking and going after opponents, and he would lead the way.
That the Thunder won the championship in part because it had an historic defense is due in large measure to Dort. Yes, other players were huge contributors, but he set the standard.
Dort defined this era of Thunder basketball.
And quite honestly, Dort might actually have a leg up on Collison when it comes to contributions because of how he developed. Dort, you’ll remember, was an undrafted free agent who became a first-team All-Defensive Team selection with an effective and sometimes clutch 3-point shot.
Truth be told, he might’ve hit the biggest shots in the Thunder’s championship run, a flurry of 3s late in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Nuggets. Lose, and OKC goes to Denver facing elimination. But his shots swung the game, the series and the Thunder’s title hopes.
That championship banner might not be in the rafters in OKC if not for Dort.
Should his jersey be there, too?
It wouldn’t be conventional, but little about his Thunder career was. Not his evolution. Or his impact. Or his motor. Or even that crazy rainbow shot that always seemed to hit a pot of gold when the Thunder needed it most.
When the time is right, the Thunder should clear a spot for Dort’s No. 5.
Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at [email protected]. Like her at facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK, follow her at @jennicarlsonok.bsky.social and twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok, and support her work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Why OKC Thunder should one day retire Lu Dort's jersey | Carlson
Continue reading...
The farther he walked, the darker it got until he was no more.
Then on the screen: THANK YOU, OKC.
Thus ended a four-minute video recently released by the Thunder defensive dynamo who was traded this offseason from Oklahoma City to Atlanta. For a guy not exactly known for public displays of emotion, much less affection, the tribute spoke volumes.
Lu hearts OKC.
And frankly, the feeling is mutual.
All of which begs an intriguing question: Should the Thunder retire Dort’s jersey?
More: Former OKC Thunder stalwart Lu Dort shares emotional goodbye after trade to Hawks
If you look only at his stats, the answer would be resounding — no. During his Thunder career, he averaged less than a dozen points a game, shot just better than 40% and had a player efficiency rating of only 10.6, well below the league average of 15. But there are several factors at play in this situation that make his chances of a jersey retirement less of a slam dunk and more of a Lu Dort 3-point attempt.
Very much up in the air.
First of all, the Thunder is not a franchise with a long, storied history. It very much has a storied history, including an NBA title and four MVPs, but it isn’t a long one. The team hasn’t even existed for two decades, so precedents are still being established and history is still being written.
It’s not like the Celtics, who have retired 24 numbers and pretty much all of the players are Hall of Famers or will be at some point. There’s a standard in Boston, and if you aren’t among the best players on the planet, it’s difficult to join the club.
Now, the Thunder has some future Hall of Famers who will one day have their jerseys retired in Oklahoma City — and yes, Kevin Durant will be among them — but it’s not like the franchise has a bunch of them already hanging from the rafters.
Truth be told, it only has one jersey there.
Nick Collison is the lone Thunder to have his jersey retired so far, and even though the tough-as-nails big man was nicknamed Mr. Thunder, he was a superstar teammate, not a superstar. A legendary human, not a legendary player.
But Collison had his jersey retired by the Thunder because of the attitude he brought and the culture he cultivated when the franchise was just taking root in OKC. People around the league might not get it, but almost no one in the 405 batted an eye, much less rolled one when Collison was enshrined.
The thing is, the Thunder retiring the jersey of a role player like Collison opens the door wide for Dort.
The two had similar impact in key categories.
Longevity: Collison played in OKC for 10 seasons, Dort for seven. But I’d argue that Dort’s years were more impactful, and not just because of the NBA title. He started for six and a half of the seven years he was a Thunder while Collison was largely a backup during his OKC tenure.
Fan favorite: No doubt there will be a chorus of “Luuuuuuu”s when Dort and the Hawks visit Oklahoma City for the first time next season. And quite honestly, that refrain will likely repeat every time he comes back.
More: Where have former OKC Thunder players landed during 2026 NBA offseason?
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Dort’s tenacity and toughness endeared him to Thunder fans from his earliest days. Much like Collison, who famously took an elbow to the head that left blood streaming down his face but that he played through until the referees finally noticed, Dort didn’t back down from anyone. Not James Harden. Not Luka Dončić. Not Nikola Jokić. And anyone who loves the Thunder will always love Dort for that.
Contributions: Here’s where Dort and Collison are even more similar. Collison had a huge impact on helping the Thunder establish its culture in the early days while Dort did the same at the start of the team’s rebuild.
He was a rookie the season after OKC traded away Russell Westbrook and Paul George. The identity of the next iteration of the Thunder was unknown, and while it soon became clear the offense would lean into players moving and flowing and spacing with Mark Daigneault leading the way and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander conducting the offense, the defensive approach was more uncertain.
Dort brought clarity — the Thunder would be a defensive doberman, attacking and going after opponents, and he would lead the way.
That the Thunder won the championship in part because it had an historic defense is due in large measure to Dort. Yes, other players were huge contributors, but he set the standard.
Dort defined this era of Thunder basketball.
And quite honestly, Dort might actually have a leg up on Collison when it comes to contributions because of how he developed. Dort, you’ll remember, was an undrafted free agent who became a first-team All-Defensive Team selection with an effective and sometimes clutch 3-point shot.
Truth be told, he might’ve hit the biggest shots in the Thunder’s championship run, a flurry of 3s late in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Nuggets. Lose, and OKC goes to Denver facing elimination. But his shots swung the game, the series and the Thunder’s title hopes.
That championship banner might not be in the rafters in OKC if not for Dort.
Should his jersey be there, too?
It wouldn’t be conventional, but little about his Thunder career was. Not his evolution. Or his impact. Or his motor. Or even that crazy rainbow shot that always seemed to hit a pot of gold when the Thunder needed it most.
When the time is right, the Thunder should clear a spot for Dort’s No. 5.
Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at [email protected]. Like her at facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK, follow her at @jennicarlsonok.bsky.social and twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok, and support her work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Why OKC Thunder should one day retire Lu Dort's jersey | Carlson
Continue reading...
