Lou Dort breaks his silence with an apology from Nikola Jokić after a flagrant uproar

Lou Dort he made a name for himself by being the heart and soul Oklahoma City Thunder. He is the one who sets the level of physicality on defense, and his gritty play has helped make the Thunder a championship organization.

However, his intensity and physical play sometimes cross the line, similar to Friday against Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets.

The Thunder and Nuggets have become intense rivals over the years, given the success of both organizations in the Western Conference, which has led to some heated and emotional battles on the court. On Friday, tensions between the two teams rose to a new level when he appeared to intentionally trip Jokic, sending the three-time MVP to the ground and leading to a melee between the two sides.

Nikola Jokić got in the face of Lou Dort and Jaylin Williams 😳

pic.twitter.com/GvHKkeJM28

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 28, 2026

After the two sides were separated by pushing and shoving, the play was reviewed and Dort was ejected from the game after receiving a flagrant foul at the 2. Dort has since come under heavy scrutiny from fans for his antics against the Nuggets, leading to him breaking his silence for that matter.

“It was a physical game the whole game,” Dort told the Athletic’s Joel Lorenzi on Tuesday night in Chicago. “Obviously, it was unnecessary contact that I shouldn’t have made. I got the worst of it, getting ejected. But yeah, it was a high-level play. I’m a competitor, so I compete.”

The 26-year-old wing claimed that this game against Denver was a physical battle with “limits”, but added that he “crossed the line” regarding the game with Jokic.

Not only were NBA fans picking sides in what played out in last week’s game between the Thunder and the Nuggets, but Denver’s head coach David Adelman also shared his thoughts about what happened, calling Dort’s actions “ridiculous.”

“For Dort to take that hit — and then I guess it wasn’t a big deal from their standpoint, how they looked at it — is ridiculous,” Adelman said. “It was malicious. It was a cheap shot. Lou Dort is a great player, and that’s not what I’ve seen him do before.”

Thunder head coach Marc Daigneault responded to the criticism Dort was ejected from Friday’s game, saying the incident was the product of a “chip game” and that “sometimes things escalate like that.” Daigneault did not comment on whether he felt Dort’s actions were unnecessary or excessive, which led to officials ejecting him from the game.

While speaking with Lorenzi in Chicago on Tuesday, Dort responded to the idea that many are calling him a dirty player.

“I have a tough job, guarding the best players every night,” Dort said. “I don’t think I’m dirty. I can’t control the media. The media always wants to have some kind of attention or whatever. They want that buzz. I can’t control that…

“I’m not dirty.”

The NBA took no further action on what happened between the Thunder and the Nuggets as Dort played against the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night, recording four points and five rebounds in Oklahoma City’s 116-108 victory.