Lu Dort stopped wearing James Harden sneakers after consulting with CP3

Lu Dort respect James Harden, but he needed new kicks for a few games

Oklahoma City guard Lu Dort stopped wearing James Harden sneakers for the Thunder’s first-round series against Houston, telling Taylor Rooks that he could not wear his opponent’s signature sneakers while facing him and saying that former Rocket Chris Paul “discussed it with him.”

While the move is not necessarily surprising, fans took notice of Paul’s involvement, and the Twitter jokes quickly followed.

Although fans were quick to joke about the news, Dort’s statements may suggest that there is still some ill will between Paul and Harden after their split last offseason. While Paul recently said that these is no grudge despite the two not talking, his involvement in Dort’s decision seems to suggest otherwise.

Does it matter what shoes Lu Dort is wearing, really?

Dort has struggled from the field against Houston, but after the Thunder reduced the deficit to one game after a victory in Game 3, he has the chance to help Oklahoma City make a comeback and potentially face either the Los Angeles Lakers or Portland Trail Blazers in the second round.

Dort is just one of the Thunder’s promising group of young guards, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dennis Schroeder. While the Thunder were not expected to contend in 2020, Paul and Gilgeous-Alexander were phenomenal, leading Oklahoma City back to the playoffs in its first year without star point guard Russell Westbrook.

The Westbrook-Paul trade is one of the biggest storylines of the first-round series, and Dort appears to be feeding into the drama. Despite the fact that Westbrook is sidelined, these two teams have some history, with both Harden and Westbrook leaving Oklahoma City via trades to Houston.

With the Thunder looking to tie up the series on Monday, Dort may have a chance to lace his Harden shoes back up soon, whether in the second round or back home in Oklahoma City.