OKC Thunder: Lu Dort inks shoe deal with Adidas

The OKC Thunder took a chance on Lu Dort, who went undrafted out of Arizona State. Signing him to a two-way pact, Dort under the old NBA rules was not allowed to practice with the NBA club, and even without that extra time with the varsity squad as a rookie, he made a huge impact.

Defense is usually the last thing young players figure out in the NBA, for Dort, he was a defensive star out of the gate. He started in 28 of his 36 games played as a rookie and was converted to a standard NBA contract before the NBA’s Disney World Bubble. Playing on one of the best bargain deals in the league, Dort found a way to make defense fun and exciting. Usually, the clips that go viral on social media are big slams, unbelievably deep 3’s, or a fancy pass. Lu Dort has made even casual NBA observers notice his defensive impact.

OKC Thunder guard Lu Dort inks deal with Adidas

Luguentz Dort has become an NBA sensation, even ESPN analyst Zach Lowe has an Oklahoma license plate in his at-home TV setup that features the word “DORT” predominately displayed. Playing on a contract that never surpasses two million dollars per season for an elite skill such as defense is an incredible value. During his sophomore season, the ASU product added a three-point shot, stroking the trey ball at a 34-percent clip. From the corner, that percentage improves to 46-percent.

Dort has seen his teammates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ink a deal with Converse that features his own shoe that was released last week, Josh Giddey ink a deal with Nike, Darius Bazley of course the former New Balance Intern is paired with NB, and even Rookie Tre Mann has teased a Converse Deal on social media.

It was only right that Dort gets his turn on the shoe deal carousel. He announced yesterday that he is signing with Adidas, the shoe brand he has worn throughout this college and NBA career so far. Adding another brand to the OKC Thunder collection.