Latest news with #LuguentzDort
CTV News
8 hours ago
- Sport
- CTV News
This is the latest Montreal baller heading to the NBA
Butler forward Jahmyl Telfort (11) plays against Marquette in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. (Michael Conroy/The Associated Press) Another Montrealer has been picked up by an NBA team. Forward Jahmyl Telfort's rights were acquired by the LA Clippers after the NBA Entry Draft on Friday. The 6′7″, 225-pound senior who played his college ball with the Butler Bulldogs averaged 16 points a game, 4.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists as a senior. He started in 28 of 31 games for the Bulldogs. The terms of Telfort's contract are unknown. The Montreal North native moved with his family to Boucherville, Que. where he played high school ball at De Moortagne High School before moving to Toronto and then the NCAA. Telfort is the latest talent from Montreal North to draw attention from the NBA. NBA champion Luguentz 'Lu' Dort of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacer Bennedict Mathurin (who lost to Dort in the finals) are both from the borough, in addition to a handful of other players.
Globe and Mail
4 days ago
- Sport
- Globe and Mail
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's NBA victory could inspire the next generation of Canadian basketball
Like many Canadians, Michael Bartlett watched Game 7 of the NBA Finals with bated breath. But as Canada Basketball's president and CEO, he had a unique rooting interest, with players on both teams. Hamilton's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Montreal's Luguentz Dort helped the Oklahoma City Thunder capture their first-ever championship, defeating Andrew Nembhard of Aurora, Ont., and Montreal's Bennedict Mathurin of the Indiana Pacers. Bartlett said he was thrilled for all four Canadians, no matter who came out on top. 'Oh, it was uncontrollable at times,' said Bartlett in a phone interview on Monday morning. 'I looked up, it was 4:50 left on the clock in Game 7 last night, and four Canadians are on the court playing meaningful minutes in crunch time with the ball in their hands. Gosh, that's exciting. 'There's nothing better than seeing people you care about, truly care about, and they care about you, shine when they have the opportunity to shine.' Bartlett said all of Canada Basketball's staff were exchanging texts throughout the climactic game, which Oklahoma City ultimately won 103-91. Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort are the 11th and 12th Canadians to win an NBA title, and Bartlett believes the experience gained by all four players will benefit Canada's senior men's team. 'They're learning how to win on the toughest of stages, which you also can't help but draw a connection to when we're in a tough situation, a game on the line, winner goes home,' he said. Gilgeous-Alexander, in particular, will be a key to Canada's future success. He became the fourth player in league history to win the scoring title, MVP, NBA championship and Finals MVP in the same season, joining Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, and Shaquille O'Neal. How Canadian NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander began charting his path to MVP when he was a teen Rowan Barrett, the general manager of Canada's men's senior basketball team, said Gilgeous-Alexander's experience in the post-season will help him in international competition because, through each round of the playoffs, he faced the opposing team's toughest defenders. 'It's got to help your national team at some point when he's back in the fold playing,' said Barrett. 'Those experiences, the pressure, the different ways they try to guard him, the different ways you've got to bring your teammates along while balancing attacking the defence every possession, all those things, I think are going to help him. 'I think it will help the other players that were playing in the Finals as well.' Gilgeous-Alexander was selected 11th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2018 NBA Draft but was traded the same day to the Los Angeles Clippers. After one season in L.A., he was sent to Oklahoma City in a blockbuster deal that brought all-star guard Paul George to the Clippers. TSN basketball commentator Tamika Nurse, who is also from Hamilton, said that how Gilgeous-Alexander carries himself through difficult times perfectly embodies the Ontario city's ethos. 'Hamilton is built on blue-collar workers, Steeltown, they call it,' she said. 'A lunch pail and hard hat kinda town, and that's exactly what he is. 'He really had to work hard. He really had to prove some doubters wrong. This is a guy who was drafted and then traded and then traded again, right?' Shai Gilgeous-Alexander conquered the NBA. Now, he's conquering the fashion world Michael Naraine, an associate professor of sport management at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., said Gilgeous-Alexander's season, one of the best ever by a Canadian in any sport, and the Finals performances of Dort, Nembhard and Mathurin have created a unique opportunity for Canada Basketball. Naraine sees it as similar to the creation of the Toronto Raptors in 1995, the emergence of Vince Carter as a superstar in the late 1990s, Steve Nash's back-to-back MVPs in 2005 and 2006, and the Raptors' NBA championship in 2019. 'It's going to create another wave of people wanting to pick up the game and that's going to be both on the men's and women's side, boys and girls are going to want to pick up the game because they see that the No. 1 men's professional basketball player in the world right now is Canadian,' said Naraine. 'If you are living in Montreal, if you're living in Dorval, you're looking at this going well, you know, our Canadian teams in hockey didn't do so great. 'But then you're looking at Dort or Mathurin saying, 'hey, look, here's this kid with these Haitian roots, growing up in Montreal. That could be me.'' Bartlett also compared these NBA Finals to those other moments in Canadian basketball history that fed into the growing popularity of the sport. 'We want there to be no shortage of opportunities for kids at all skill levels to be able to play this game and to stay in love and play this game for as long as they want,' said Bartlett. 'What does that look like for somebody who's still involved in the game (in their 40s), either as a player, as a coach, as an official. 'Are there enough great coaches, well-trained coaches, to teach the game the right way in Canada, in gyms across this country? Canada Basketball can't be in every gym, but we can develop a curriculum that lives through every gym, that coaches are taught the right way, and then officiating as well. That's a big part of it, too.'
National Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- National Post
Gilgeous-Alexander's NBA crown could spark Canada's next basketball boom
Like many Canadians, Michael Bartlett watched Game 7 of the NBA Finals with bated breath. But as Canada Basketball's president and CEO, he had a unique rooting interest, with players on both teams. Article content Hamilton's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Montreal's Luguentz Dort helped the Oklahoma City Thunder capture the franchise's second championship, defeating Andrew Nembhard of Aurora and Montreal's Bennedict Mathurin of the Indiana Pacers. Bartlett said he was thrilled for all four Canadians, no matter who came out on top. Article content Article content Article content 'Oh, it was uncontrollable at times,' said Bartlett in a phone interview on Monday morning. 'I looked up, it was 4:50 left on the clock in Game 7 last night, and four Canadians are on the court playing meaningful minutes in crunch time with the ball in their hands. Gosh, that's exciting. Article content 'There's nothing better than seeing people you care about, truly care about, and they care about you, shine when they have the opportunity to shine.' Article content Bartlett said all of Canada Basketball's staff was exchanging texts throughout the climactic game, which Oklahoma City ultimately won 103-91. Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort are the 11th and 12th Canadians to win an NBA title, and Bartlett believes the experience gained by all four players will benefit Canada's senior men's team. Article content 'They're learning how to win on the toughest of stages, which you also can't help but draw a connection to when we're in a tough situation, a game on the line, winner goes home,' he said. Article content Article content Article content He became the fourth player in league history to win the scoring title, MVP, NBA championship and Finals MVP in the same season, joining Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, and Shaquille O'Neal. Article content Rowan Barrett, the general manager of Canada's men's senior basketball team, said Gilgeous-Alexander's experience in the post-season will help him in international competition because, through each round of the playoffs, he faced the opposing team's toughest defenders. Article content 'It's got to help your national team at some point when he's back in the fold playing,' said Barrett. 'Those experiences, the pressure, the different ways they try to guard him, the different ways you've got to bring your teammates along while balancing attacking the defence every possession, all those things, I think are going to help him.
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Ratings surge for NBA Finals Game 7 after early slump
Jun 22, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; The Oklahoma City Thunder celebrate after winning game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images REUTERS Jun 22, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) passes the ball againstIndiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) during game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images REUTERS Jun 22, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) attempts a shot against the Indiana Pacers during game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images REUTERS Jun 22, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) with head coach Mark Daigneault after winning game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images REUTERS Jun 22, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; The Oklahoma City Thunder lift the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy as they celebrate after winning game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images REUTERS Jun 22, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; The Oklahoma City Thunder celebrate after winning game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images REUTERS NEW YORK - Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers averaged 16.4 million viewers on Sunday, making it the most-watched Finals game in six years, the league said on Monday. The Thunder beat the Pacers 103-91 to clinch the title in a physical affair that unravelled for Indiana in the second half after point guard Tyrese Haliburton left with an Achilles injury early in the game. The viewership was welcome news for the NBA after the clash of two small-market teams yielded disappointing ratings early in the best-of-seven series. The Game 1 opener averaged 8.91 million viewers on ABC, according to Sports Media Watch, the lowest viewership for the Finals opener in the Nielsen era, outside of the two COVID-affected seasons. The series that was short on starpower ended with the Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander capping one of the best individual seasons in NBA history. The 26-year-old became only the fourth player - and the first since Shaquille O'Neal in 2000 - to earn the scoring title as well as league and Finals MVP honours in the same season. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CBC
4 days ago
- Sport
- CBC
Montréal-Nord residents thrilled as hometown hero Luguentz Dort wins NBA championship
Luguentz Dort is the second NBA champion from Montréal-Nord. He played against his good friend, Bennedict Mathurin, who's also from the borough.
