EXCLUSIVE: Thunder Culture Helped OKC Land Isaiah Hartenstein

It was official on July 6, 2024, that the Oklahoma City Thunder landed a marquee free agent for the first time in team history. It goes without saying that this luxury typically is not afforded to small market clubs. 

That is what made Isaiah Hartenstein’s decision to ditch the bright lights of Broadway for the dull days of Bricktown so interesting.

After all, money talks, right? Hartenstein signed a three-year, $87 million deal with Oklahoma City. More than New York could match. But the decision for Hartenstein to leave the Knicks was rooted in more than dollar and cents. It just made sense.

“First of all, I think just how the culture is and the way they play, I found out with the community stuff a little bit later, but now just being here and seeing how involved they are in the community, it is the same as me. I am not going to lie, I probably wouldn’t have came here for a dollar, money is still a thing,” Hartenstein joked in a conversation with Thunder on SI. “But to me, this is the only spot that I would’ve left New York for. And it has been everything I thought it would be, It’s been great.” 

Hartenstein has fully embraced Thunder culture in every way. Not just on the court — where his no-ego, pass-first style smoothly integrates into head coach Mark Daigneault’s system — but off it as well.

As an organization the Thunder have cared about serving the community with its Thunder Cares program. 

It’s something from top-down that the team has stressed the importance of. From community-wide events to its masterful storytelling with yearly movies showcasing unique community stories, it’s something the organization takes pride in.

The same goes for Hartenstein, who’s always been focused on giving back.

“I think it is just the privilege that we get,” Hartenstein said. I get to play basketball for a living. I don’t think I would be in this situation without the people in the community. Me coming in here, the Thunder giving me the contract that I got, it was really important for me to give back.” 

Hartenstein, like every new player the Thunder bring aboard, went to the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum shortly after he arrived in town.

 “I think that was another motivation just to help the community and help give back,” Hartenstein said. “We try to do at least two to three things each month, just to help the people in need. I think that is the least I can do from my standpoint.”

That desire to give back is deeply rooted in the German-born center, who has started his own foundation. The Hartenstein Foundation is a family affair, managed day-to-day by those closest to the Thunder big man. 

“My parents. I think my parents, just growing up, keeping me humble, keeping perspective on everything,” Hartenstein said. “I think especially you are in this NBA bubble, I think you lose perspective of what is going on in the real world. So for me, it is, first of all, fun and good to give back. But it humbles me again. I also think just seeing the people email you ‘Hey, you really changed my day,’ I think even if I change one person's life, my role in this is fulfilled.”

Hartenstein's mom and wife help him run his foundation, a task he could not handle alone, especially during the hustle and bustle of an NBA season. “I think especially in the season you are so focused on basketball so I think if I did it all myself it would be hard,” Hartenstein said. “I kinda tell [my mom] where I kinda wanna help with and then she’s been doing an amazing job just setting up and giving back. There have been multiple times where we have been on the road and she will go out and do stuff. I think this month we did 10 things...I am really grateful for what they all do, for my mom and my wife.”

Not only is there organizational synergy between Hartenstein and the Thunder on the court, as he’s averaging 11 points, 10 rebounds and four assists this season, but off it as well.

“It was great [to learn about the Thunder Cares program],” Hartenstein said.“We both are at the same mindset. I think, first of all, you always saw from afar how good the organization was. I mean, they were first in the West last year. They play the right way. Sam [Presti] talked a lot about how present-focused they are. I know they say 0-0 mentality,”

Hartenstein, cracking a smile as the Thunder cliche practically slipped out of his mouth.

“But, that is kinda how I approach my whole career. Then, how together we play, that has been something really special whether it's offensive, defensively, there is no egos. We all want each other to succeed. Yeah, we all have personal goals but it never gets in the way of the team. I think that’s what makes it special, for sure.” 

Hartenstein’s signing is a large part of what makes this Thunder season so special. Oklahoma City currently sits 63-12 –– its highest win total in franchise history –– and is breaking records nightly with the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference locked up long ago. 

Despite rehabbing and a freshness to the team, OKC’s gaudy records this season simply wouldn’t have been possible without Hartenstein. That can be attributed to the Thunder’s culture and deeply rooted identity as a team, which Hartenstein says starts at the top. 

“I think it starts with Sam [Presti],” Hartenstein said. “I think Sam does a great job of bringing in people that are, first of all good, talented, and fit the system but also fit the culture. I think that is what makes Sam as a GM special is that he is finding these people that fit in. If you bring in two people that don’t fit the culture, that can kinda mess everything up. It starts with Sam. New York was similar, kinda like how close we were, but I think this is special because it is really like every single guy. Sometimes, you have one guy who is kinda like by himself. But here it is every single guy. I think an impressive thing is how supportive guys are even when they are not playing. Again, it's our careers like its still a business so I think that is something you don’t see a lot. Where a guy won’t play for five games but he is still standing up and cheering everyone on,” Hartenstein reflected. 

This Thunder team fits every cliche in the book. It is a fun-loving young team that has unbridled camaraderie, selflessness that would make a saint blush, and exerts more energy on a nightly basis than the Energizer Bunny. 

From afar, it is easy to wonder how much of that is genuine and how much of it is a facade — an act by a young cast of characters looking to soak up attention and garner praise for ‘playing the right way.’ Their post game skits with sideline reporter Nick Gallo have only grown in showmanship and have even drawn outrage by some. At best, they are called corny; At worst, they are labeled unserious. 

Hartenstein, who takes the game so seriously he played through a facial fracture, and who still has a bruise and cut near his right eye as a battle scar and reminder of his work ethic, explained the true brotherhood this Thunder team has formed.

“I mean, you kinda saw it before,” Hartenstein said.“Sometimes you look at the [antics with Gallo] and you are like ‘Is that fake? Is that more for show?’ But we really just want each other to succeed, and we really want to support each other. We are not going out there to be like ‘Oh, let’s get on TV.’ No, we are going out there because we want to support each other. That’s what makes it special and what’s been good for us all season. Even having guys out, we trust each other.”

These future relationships weren’t yet built in July, when Hartenstein had to make a life-changing decision as a free agent.

The 26-year-old took everything into account when deciding where to take his talents in an expansive process. 

“It is a mixture between you watching film, you kinda talking to Mark [Daigneault], talking to Sam [Presti], talking to your agent and figuring out what is best for you and your family,” Hartenstein said. “I think especially in the NBA, you never know what can happen. I think a lot of NBA players have to look out for themselves a lot of the time, so you just never know. We saw what we thought was the best situation and gladly, everything turned out how we thought it was going to turn out.” 

The Thunder big man got his first glimpse of Thunder culture when he was just a youngster, growing up on the other side of the TV screen.

“When I was growing up, I liked watching the Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook Thunder, and that’s where you kinda saw how the culture was,” Hartenstein said. 

While Hartenstein joined a 57-win club that captured the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference a year ago, there were still questions to be answered. Some that couldn’t be answered on film. Most notably, his pairing with fellow seven-footer Chet Holmgren. That was a picture painted clearly by the Thunder back in July. 

“The thing I respect about Sam, he even told me straight up ‘I’m not going to promise you anything. I will promise you a culture, I will promise you a system, I will promise you that. But I am not going to promise you anything,” Hartenstein relayed. 

“I think me knowing that Chet [Holmgren] could play the four, me knowing that I guess I am a traditional big, but I am not. Even if I am not shooting that many threes I am spacing the court from my passing, from my activity even the floaters and stuff like that, I knew the way we could play together has been good.”

That pairing that is still in its infancy continues to blossom on the court despite a rocky start after each rehabbed injuries. 

“I mean, the first three games I was like maybe it's not,” Hartenstein joked, “but after that we started to figure it out, I think our offensive rating together is like 124 or something, offensively its been great.”

The Thunder had to wait until Jan. 7 to unveil its new frontcourt duo, as the two seven-footers were like two ships passing in the night early in the season, each dealing with injuries. However, the pairing has turned a corner as of late, with still room to grow, according to Hartenstein. Espeically on defense. 

“It is still good, but I think we can be elite in that,” Hartenstein said.“I think sometimes we both try to go for a blocked shot when we are supposed to be in different situations, But I think that will come. It’s been 13 games.”

So often, free agent pitches are portrayed as flashy presentations that include wining and dining players, figuring out what makes them tick and telling them what they want to hear to get them to sign on the dotted line. 

Oklahoma City’s lack of promises might’ve helped land Hartenstein; at the very least, it resonated with the like-minded big man. 

“I think just [Sam Presti] being really honest, I think mindset wise we were so on the same level where we were like ‘Hey, it's a day-to-day process, you can’t skip steps.’ I think a lot of people, yeah, you have a goal to win a championship, but a lot of teams at the beginning of the year are just way too focused on that and forget every single step that leads to winning a championship. So I think that was the main thing. I love the culture, and team-wise they play the right way, its been great,” Hartenstein told Thunder on SI. 

The former Knick has clearly been influenced by bench boss Mark Daigneault. Hartenstein littered this conversation with now famed Mark-isms. Hartenstein, who played against Daigneault in the NBA G League when Daigneault coached the OKC Blue, perfectly illustrated how the head coach has been able to connect with players. Showing that these repetitive sayings are more than just lip service. 

“I played against him in the G League, kinda seeing how smart he is as a coach, even being here he doesn’t waste time,” Hartenstein said. “As players, we are not like ‘Alright, when is this over?’When he talks, we listen and we know he is trying to help the team and he is saying smart things that translate to the game. So I think the basketball mind he has has been really impressive.” 

While things have gone according to plan for Hartenstein, there have still been –– positive –– surprises along the way. 

“One person that has surprised me has been [Jalen Williams], his passing has been pretty impressive. I didn’t know he was that good of a passer. Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander], it is the same thing. I didn’t know how willing of a passer he is. I mean, he still scores 30, but he gets trapped, and he doesn’t force it. He gets right off of it, and Shai’s defense has been really impressive, too. I think what a lot of people don’t talk about is Cason Wallace,” Hartenstein said. 

The big man’s eyes lit up when talking about Wallace, as the two previously joked about their father-son dynamic, “I think he has been really good. I thought he was a defensive player before, but now he has been really impressive. I think that is probably the main thing. Mark gives us so much freedom [to develop].”

Hartenstein’s Thunder tenure is only 53 games old, the ink is still fresh on his three-year, $87 million pact. Yet still, Hartenstein has been worth every cent.