Like all great teams that have come before, the OKC Thunder have found themselves on the receiving end of a great deal of hate and criticism throughout their epic rise over the past few seasons.
Perhaps the most frequently cited critique of this Oklahoma City club is the widespread belief that they receive preferential treatment from the NBA's officiating crew, a notion that many have attributed as a driving force behind their 2025 championship run.
Interestingly enough, despite key statistics that point to the contrary, such as their eighth-lowest rate of drawing fouls and fifth-fewest free throw attempts during the 2024-25 campaign, this hasn't stopped individuals within the league, such as Minnesota Timberwolves' head coach Chris Finch, from publicly agreeing with the narrative.
Clearly, no matter what the facts say in defense of this slanderous talking point, haters of this Thunder club are simply going to continue hating.
Because of this, instead of further wasting energy on trying to dispel such rhetoric, Luguentz Dort has decided to fully steer into the ridiculousness by pulling off an epic, all-time troll job on national TV.
Lu Dort trolls OKC Thunder haters on national TV
During a recent appearance on ESPN's NBA Today, the beloved Thunder guard came onto set wearing the black and white pinstripes of a referee's uniform, a wardrobe decision that quickly enraged OKC haters on social media.
One user on X, Mavs Film Room, took a jab at the organization by jokingly saying Dort was showing "respect to his teammates by wearing their jersey," a not-so-subtle indication that they believe the officiating crew was on their side during the 2025 NBA Finals.
Another user would post that Dort "still hasn't changed from the jersey swap with Scott Foster," an admittedly hilarious shot taken at both the guard and the veteran referee.
The idea that Oklahoma City's offensive approach is heavily reliant on foul calls and, in turn, trips to the charity stripe has been a hot topic of discussion for several seasons now.
It's been so frequently discussed, in fact, that both fans and league personnel have even dubbed superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as a free-throw merchant, a title that has regularly been debunked.
However, regardless of how outlandish some of these claims may be, it's obvious that, even with their historic all-around dominance and enviable perseverance under the brightest of lights and on the biggest stage the sport has to offer, the Thunder will still be lambasted because of this rather fictitious idea of out of the ordinary favorable calls from officials.
Because of this, Lu Dort has given up on trying to convince the haters of truth and, instead, is having fun subliminally trolling them.