‘I’m Not Dirty’: Lu Dort Rejects Label but Takes Accountability for Flagrant Foul That Set Off Nikola Jokić

Dort was ejected from last week’s game against the Nuggets after a hip check on Jokić that caused a mid-court scuffle between the two teams.

Thunder forward Lu Dort has come under fire for his physical play, which he admits crossed the line in his flagrant foul on Nikola Jokić last week. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Lu Dort knows that his hip check on Nikola Jokić during Friday night’s Thunder-Nuggets tilt was an “unnecessary” play, but he doesn’t believe it should define his reputation as a player.

“I don’t think I’m dirty,” Dort told the media in Chicago after a 116–108 win over the Bulls on Tuesday.

The label has been hurled in the Oklahoma City forward’s direction in the aftermath of the foul, which turned into one of the defining viral basketball clips of last weekend. During the fourth quarter of what was a two-point game, Dort threw his hip into an unsuspecting Jokić as he jogged back up the court after a made basket, sending the three-time MVP to the floor. The typically mild-mannered Serbian was furious when he got back to his feet, getting directly in Dort’s face, leading to a midcourt fracas between the two sides.

Lu Dort was ejected after appearing to trip Nikola Jokic on this play.

Nikola Jokic and Jaylin Williams both received technical fouls. pic.twitter.com/ZFyNHpigsM

— ESPN (@espn) February 28, 2026

Dort was ejected from the game after being hit with a flagrant 2 foul, while Jokić and Jaylin Williams were assessed technicals after the scrum was broken up. The Thunder would go on to win the heated matchup in overtime, 107–101.

Speaking about the altercation on Tuesday, Dort said that while it was a “physical game,” he “went over the limit” per The Athletic.

“I have a tough job, guarding the best players every night,” Dort said. “It’s not easy. Obviously, I play hard. I’m a physical player. It’s what I do for my team, and sometimes people think it’s too much, but it’s always [within] the rules of the game.”

Until it wasn’t, with Friday’s foul. Dort, an All-Defensive Team selection a year ago and a key cog to Oklahoma City’s lockdown defense, has been known for his tenacity on that end of the court since he entered the league in 2019. However, after a growing number of incidents this season, Dort’s reputation is starting to shift in a negative direction. Still, he believes that is more of a media creation than anything else.

“I can’t control media. Media always wants to have some type of attention or anything. They want that buzz. I can’t control that,” Dort said. “I’ve been doing well with this organization for years now.
I’m happy with how I play and what I do with my teammates. I go out there, compete every night. So I’m gonna keep doing what I do on the court, and then let the media judge the way they want to judge.”

Nikola Jokić called his reaction to Lu Dort’s foul “necessary,” while Nuggets coach David Adelman said it was a “cheap shot”

Jokić, whose death stare at Dort made the rounds on social media after the foul Friday, was pointed in his reaction after the game.

“I think there's not supposed to be those things on a basketball floor,” he said. “So, it was just an unnecessary move and a necessary reaction by me.”

His coach, David Adelman, was even more critical of the Oklahoma City wing.

“For Dort to take that shot, and then, I guess it wasn’t that big of a deal from their standpoint, how they looked at it, is ridiculous,” Adelman said. “That was malicious. It was a cheap shot. Lu Dort’s a great player. That’s not what I’ve seen him do before. At some point, you have to stand up for yourself, and the team does as well. They’re a great team, that game was what it was. But yeah, Nikola, that’s who he is, man. You can’t have the success he’s had and not be that competitive. He has emotions inside of him that he keeps in check but the guy is very capable and very willing to emotionally respond.”

Lu Dort has also come under fire for questionable plays on Victor Wembanyama, Tyrese Haliburton over the last year

The budding Thunder-Spurs rivalry has been one of the most exciting aspects of the 2025–26 season, and the NBA has been happy to play up the Victor Wembanyama vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-led duels. Wembanyama’s personal rivalry with Oklahoma City center Chet Holmgren is well established, but back during the Christmas Day game between the two sides, it was Dort that drew scorn from San Antonio fans for what they believed was a dirty play.

As Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox put up a midrange jumper during the second quarter of that game, Dort went flying towards the basket, colliding with Wembanyama’s knee. The play was less obvious than his clip of Jokić, but Wembanyama went down in a heap.

No foul was assessed on the play. Wembanyama, who came in off the bench as he worked back from a calf injury, scored 19 points in 26 minutes as the Spurs won 117–102. Dort had eight points and committed four fouls in 29 minutes.

During last spring’s NBA Finals, Dort was often tasked with defending the Pacers’ banged-up star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, and he was extremely physical in doing so.

Haliburton and Dort getting physical 👀

📺 #NBAFinals Game 4 LIVE on ABC pic.twitter.com/yZTHJBKubp

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 14, 2025

His play didn’t come under nearly as much scrutiny during the Finals as it is now, following the Jokić dustup. Friday’s incident was the second spurred on by Dort in 2026, after he and Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears got into a shoving match as the final buzzer sounded at the end of a late January Thunder win.

Lu Dort and Jeremiah Fears got into it on the final play of the game 😳 pic.twitter.com/pd57nEKb5f

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 28, 2026

Oklahoma City is on pace to capture the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference a year after a dominant run to its first NBA championship. With that level of success comes inevitable backlash, and Dort’s physical brand of basketball could be a further catalyst for some to paint the Thunder as villains as we near the playoffs.

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