VILLENEUVE-D'ASCQ, France — In 2019, Luguentz Dort was a star for Bobby Hurley and the Arizona State men's basketball team.
Five years later, he is on the world stage, helping lead his home country, Canada, to a win over Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece in both teams' Olympic opener at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France.
Dort, who plays in the NBA for the Oklahoma City Thunder, started for Canada and scored eight points on 50% shooting. He also grabbed four rebounds, dished out two assists, blocked a shot and grabbed a steal as Canada beat Greece 86-79.
This is Dort's first trip to the Olympics. He helped lead Canada to a bronze medal finish at the 2023 FIBA World Championships, capping the tournament with a win over Team USA in the bronze-medal game.
He played just one season with the Sun Devils and was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2019. He led ASU to a win in the NCAA Tournament's First Four over St. John's that season. That was ASU's first win in the tournament since 2009. ASU added another win in the 2023 First Four over Nevada.
Canada is loaded with NBA talent, including Dort's Oklahoma City teammate, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Toronto Raptors guard/forward RJ Barrett, Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray and Memphis Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks.
Barrett led Canada in scoring against Greece with 23 points, followed closely behind by Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 21. Brooks added 14 points and Murray scored eight.
Antetokounmpo was the best player on the floor for the Greeks on Saturday, scoring 34 points.
Former Phoenix Suns draft pick Georgios Papagiannis scored three points for Greece.
Dort and Canada will be back on the court on Tuesday when they take on former Arizona Wildcat Josh Green, former Sun Jock Landale and Australia. Tip-off is at 4:30 a.m. Arizona time.
Greece will play Spain on Tuesday. Tip-off for that game is at 2 a.m. Arizona time.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to four major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events every year, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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