Watching OKC star Lu Dort wear the Haitian flag inspires fans in Haiti

CAP-HAÏTIEN — On June 22, Varona Jean-Charles, a Léogâne resident, watched Game 7 of the 2025 NBA finals at his neighbor’s house, just as he had been doing throughout the entire series. The excitement inside the living room intensified more than on previous nights, since it was the final game to determine the champion.

About every time Haitian Canadians Luguentz “Lu” Dort and Bennedith “Ben” Mathurin touched the ball, the group of five Haitian fans, four men and one woman, said “Se yon Ayisyen ki ak balon an wi la” (The Haitian has the ball). 

Whenever someone fouled Mathurin, they yelled “Yo fè fot sou Ayisyen an wi” (They fouled the Haitian). 

While watching the game itself was a delight, many Haitians eagerly waited for the post-game celebration to see one thing: whether Mathurin or Dort would wave the Haitian flag. When Dort won the NBA Finals with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he did not disappoint. The 26-year-old waved the Haitian flag tied to the Canadian flag, then wore it over his shoulder after the game on June 22 at the Paycom Center arena in Oklahoma City. OKC topped the Indiana Pacers 103-91 in Game 7 to lift the trophy after a thrilling series filled with drama.

“There we go. There’s the flag floating,” Jean-Charles, 28, told The Haitian Times, reminiscing on the image of Dort carrying the flag after Game 7. 

“This is big. This year, we have someone representing us in the final.”

Dort wore the flag again during OKC’s championship parade, tucking it in front of his pants while holding the trophy on June 25. To many Haitians, this symbolizes that despite the many crises the country faces, people of Haitian descent can succeed at the highest levels. Dort winning the NBA title also led some local Haitians to believe that if they received support from the government, they could achieve success as he did.

“There are other people of Haitian descent or Haitians in Haiti who can do it too; we just need more visibility and support or a basketball federation that supports us,” Otniel Despagne, a basketball fan in Port-au-Prince, said. “Watching Dort with the Haitian flag inspires us. It motivates us to succeed as well.”

Jean-Charles wishes that Dort and Mathurin would start basketball camps in Haiti to help other young talents follow in their footsteps. But he understands that it is unlikely for that to happen due to the gang violence crisis in Port-au-Prince. 

“If Haiti were normal, they could’ve brought basketball to Haiti, but this is a country that’s not functioning,” Jean-Charles said.

“They gave us motivation for basketball. They gave us more reasons to love the game of basketball. We never had two players in the NBA finals. And they were very useful to their teams. We haven’t seen this.”

Dort acknowledged Haiti’s struggles and was proud to represent his country in the NBA finals.

“It means a lot, these are my people right here, Canada and Haiti,” Dort said in a press conference after the final. 

“I’m always grateful and proud to represent them at this biggest stage. Haiti has been through a lot. I’m happy to represent Haiti at the biggest stage, you know, being a champion now.”

Mathurin was also born in Montreal, Canada, to Haitian parents. The pair of Haitian Canadians dazzled in the finals. Dort was arguably the top defender in the finals but also contributed heavily offensively, racking the highest three-pointers made average out of both teams, 2.4. 

Meanwhile, Mathurin was the Pacers’ third top scorer, even though he was coming off the bench, scoring 12.4 points per game in the finals. At only 23 years of age, Mathurin has shown that he has the potential to become a superstar with Indiana.

To many Haitian fans, Dort is already a superstar. He made the 2025 All-NBA Defensive First Team and finished fourth in the Defensive Player of the Year contest.

It is the first time Haitians are witnessing NBA players of their origin in Dort and Mathurin’s caliber achieve success. 

“They have a lot of potential,” Jean-Charles said. “People shouldn’t only sell what’s negative about us. Those two guys are our two [positive] examples in the game of basketball.”

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