Arizona State basketball isn't necessarily known as an NBA player mill but head coach Bobby Hurley has pumped out some significant talent in recent years. Shooting guard Josh Christopher (2020-21) now features for the Miami Heat and small forward Luguentz Dort (2018-19) stars on the Western Conference's top seed this year, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The latter earned a prestigious honor from the NBA on Thursday. Dort was named to league's All-Defensive First Team, a career first for the Sun Devil alum.
Dort was joined by Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, Golden State Warriors forward-center Draymond Green, Cleveland Cavaliers forward-center Evan Mobley and Houston Rockets guard-forward Amen Thompson on the list.
Dort only averaged 10.1 points-per-game in his sixth year as a professional in the NBA but he was a valuable asset for the Thunder in close games, keeping opponents from walking away with victories or making comebacks.
Lu Dort's NBA honor adds credibility to Arizona State's struggling program
With the Sun Devil program struggling of late, Dort's league-wide honor provides a new kind of spotlight Hurley and his staff desperately need. They can now point to his development in Tempe (albeit a single season) when out on the recruiting trail.
Dort averaged 16.1 points-per-game and boasted a shooting percentage of 40.5 in his time at ASU. He was, of course, valued for his defensive efforts, averaging 1.5 steals and 4.3 rebounds (3.0 on defense).
Despite being a one-and-done for Hurley's program, Dort is ascending to the level of prominence and respectability of ASU hoops' most popular alum - James Harden. "The Beard," as he's called, has his name and face most associated with the school when it comes to basketball and he's even given back to the program as a result. Harden made a six-figure donation to the school's NIL collective in February to help with recruiting struggles.
After his wildly successful 2024-25 season, Dort and Oklahoma City are on the verge of appearing in the NBA Finals for the first time since Harden did in 2012. Lifting the Larry O'Brien Trophy would be another image ASU could point to in bolstering the program's legacy.