The Atlanta Hawks got their preseason slate underway on Monday night with a home loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. The Hawks had some key players out of the lineup for this one, including wing Lu Dort, whom the team acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder this offseason during that team's fire sale.
Recently, Dort appeared on the “How Hungry Are You?” podcast with former NBA player Serge Ibaka and dropped a take on whether an NBA championship or a gold medal for his native Canada would mean more to him.
“I’d say winning a gold medal because Canada gave my family a great opportunity to have a better life,” he said, per @katsuxbt on X, formerly Twitter.
Dort, of course, has already won an NBA championship with the Thunder, having been a starter on their 2025 squad that defeated the Indiana Pacers in seven games to win the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Still, it's probably not the answer that Hawks fans were hoping to hear as they prepare to get their new season underway, even though effort has never been an issue for Dort, regardless of which team he's playing for.
Atlanta didn't make some of the splashy moves that other teams in the Eastern Conference went after this summer, but they did shore up their depth on the wings with the addition of both Dort and former Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins, as well as selecting Kingston Flemings with the number eight overall pick in this past draft.
Article Continues BelowIt remains to be seen whether these moves will be enough for the Hawks to build off last year's success in a crowded Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Atlanta will kick off its new season on October 21 vs the Orlando Magic.