Montrealer and NBA champion Luguentz Dort is coming to Montreal next week — and his stay will include a championship parade in his old neighbourhood.
Earlier this summer, Dort’s Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers in a seven-game series to claim the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Next Wednesday, On Aug. 20, Dort is expected to take part in a ceremony at 4 p.m. at city hall with Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante to celebrate his accomplishments, as well as his commitment to the city’s youth.
He’ll sign the city’s registrar, commonly referred to in French as the Livre d’or. According to a spokesperson for Dort, that ceremony will gather about 200 people from the city’s sports community.
The following day, Dort will take part in a parade in Montréal-Nord, the borough where he grew up.
“I feel like they deserve that because they’ve been supporting me all season,” he told CBC’s Daybreak, in an interview last month.
In the finals, Dort faced off against friend Bennedict Mathurin, who is also from Montréal-Nord.
Their NBA Finals showdown was a major source of pride — for Canadians, Quebecers, Montrealers and people in their home borough.
The area is also home to a large number of Haitian-Montrealers. Both Dort and Mathurin are of Haitian descent.
The news releases about next week’s event did not specify the exact location of the parade.
Dort’s championship was a crowning achievement in a journey that included being snubbed on draft night in 2019.
“It’s always a motivation every time I face a team that had the chance to draft me. But at the same time, it shaped me as a player and helped me, you know, get to where I am today.”
After the parade, the Montrealer will hold the fifth edition of his basketball camp, Camp Élite.
It’s a two-day event, to be held on Friday and Saturday, that features dozens of basketball players from the province.
From celebrating his recent feat to playing with his dogs, the Oklahoma City Thunder forward opens up about what he’s experiencing as an NBA champion.
