In an offseason filled with cost-cutting moves, the Oklahoma City Thunder had to tearfully say goodbye to a longtime starter. They traded Lu Dort to the Atlanta Hawks for three future second-round picks. The writing was on the wall for a while. For both basketball and financial reasons. Still, doesn’t make the departure sting any less.
Dort spent seven seasons on the Thunder from 2019-26. In that time, he went from an undrafted rookie to an All-Defense member and one-time NBA champion. The 27-year-old is one of OKC’s best developmental stories in franchise history.
A few weeks after the move happened, Dort finally penned his goodbye letter. In it, he reflected on his time in OKC and how it helped him carve out an NBA career. Something that usually doesn’t happen with his starting point. He also debuted an emotional four-minute tribute video that highlighted his best moments on the Thunder.
Alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort had a chance to see the Thunder grow from a rebuild to an eventual NBA champion. As a fan favorite, folks were teary-eyed over his letter and tribute video. Here are some of the best social media reactions to his goodbye:
Lu Dort says goodbye to OKC on IG along with a special video:
“Dear OKC,
There are no words that could ever fully express what the 405 means to me, but one thing will always be true:
I’Il forever be grateful.Thank you to the Oklahoma City Thunder organization for taking a…
— Thunder Film Room (@ThunderFilmRoom) August 5, 2026
Lu Dort posted a tribute video of his time on the Thunder to accompany his goodbye letter: pic.twitter.com/uf05KgMJoB
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) August 5, 2026
Lu Dort says goodbye to OKC: pic.twitter.com/PnFYuVb5rH
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) August 5, 2026
Lu Dort’s ovation from Thunder fans for his first return game in OKC will be the biggest Loud City welcome back for any former player not named Russell Westbrook. pic.twitter.com/KPQApiKj8G
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) August 5, 2026
Forever our linebacker https://t.co/BYn0ukqlE1
— Tea Bag (@TylersTakes) August 5, 2026
Lu told me he liked my cartoons – mostly he wanted to make sure I got the length of his hair right. Once he said that, I made it a point to make sure my Dort toons were hair accurate. He was part of something special in OKC. https://t.co/uILhXSi65c
— Sportstoons (@sportstoons) August 5, 2026
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Social media reacts to Lu Dort’s emotional goodbye letter to OKC
