OKLAHOMA CITY — Florian Hartenstein, the father of Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein, will never forget the joyful look on Isaiah's face, one reminiscent of the days when his son was a little boy. While parting a sea full of screaming fans in Oklahoma City, the Hartensteins were in the Thunder's first championship parade, making their way toward Scissortail Park. For many reasons, Florian felt a sense of vindication for his son.
Hartenstein came a long way as an overseas prospect who played in Germany and Lithuania before the 2017 draft, when the Houston Rockets selected him with the 43rd overall pick. It was the beginning of a unique journey toward becoming an NBA champion starting center, which began with a stint in the G League and continued with brief stops with the Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Clippers.
Never sticking with a team beyond one season, Florian admits, felt like one setback after another. However, the experience led to better opportunities for Hartenstein, who was looking forward to developing as a backup to All-Star Nikola Jokic in Denver before Isaiah was unexpectedly traded to the Cavs.
These were the darkest days of Hartenstein's career, Florian recalls. Still, learning facets of the game through different voices, opinions, and strategic approaches helped Isaiah grow into the reliable rebounder, rim-protector, scorer, and passer he is today; however, Hartenstein was looking for something permanent. He was discouraged, not knowing where his path was headed.
“You always want to be a part [of it]. The thing is, he's figured it out. To play in the NBA, you have to figure out a role. I think that's one of the hardest parts, especially for younger players — is to figure out what my role is in the NBA. Because if you're not like a top pick, you don't get to play the way you want,” Florian tells ClutchPoints. “You have to find a role that you fit best.
“And he's figured out how to mentally put himself in situations where it's like, OK, the team wants this. So, I try to be as good as I can in those situations to help the team the best way I can. I think that mindset is almost unique to me because he's played in the last four years for four different coaches, and was always able to adjust to whatever that coach wanted him to do — that's a special skill.”
Florian feels his son's 2021-22 season with the Clippers was the first time Hartenstein truly began to believe he had a future in the NBA. Averaging 8.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 17.9 minutes, it cemented Isaiah as an everyday player.
Then, his two seasons with the New York Knicks caught the eyes of the Thunder's front office, which believed Isaiah Hartenstein was the missing piece to a young and promising frontcourt led by a pair of Oklahoma City's 2022 first-round picks, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. In 2024, Hartenstein agreed to a three-year, $87 million deal with the Thunder, securing his and his family's future and a starting center role.
After helping the Thunder win a championship, he's having the best start of his career, which was punctuated by Hartenstein's career night in a 132-101 win against the Sacramento Kings. Hartenstein recorded a career-high in points — 33 on 14-of-17 shooting — and rebounds (19), with three assists, three blocks, and a steal.
Florian had no doubts that the 2025-26 campaign would be Hartenstein's best heading into the regular season, and that's precisely what we're seeing, thus far amid an 11-game sample. Hartenstein found a home as the Thunder's enforcer, who can score, set hard screens, and pass better than most centers in the league, and at 27, is still getting better.
“To be happy in a situation that he's in, to be able to show what he can do,” Florian added. “To win a championship — which, I mean, we're talking about, like, Charles Barkley doesn't have a championship, you know? These are legends in the NBA. For me, it's an honor to be part of it. To see it and just experience it.”
Isaiah Hartenstein's dad reflects on Thunder championship parade
Thunder veteran Isaiah Hartenstein's father, Florian Hartenstein, has been in his son's corner every step along the way of the center's nine-year career. As a former German professional basketball player, he relocated his family from Oregon to Germany before Isaiah was a teenager and took him under his wing as a center.
Florian coached his son for years, believing that gaining European basketball experience would make Hartenstein a more dynamic center and increase his chances of reaching the NBA, something Florian, who chose a career overseas after going undrafted in 1999, believed. He vowed that Isaiah's path would be different than his. Hartenstein passed on the chance to play college basketball in the States.
Florian says a false report citing Isaiah's knee injury dropped his draft stock into the second round. The ups and downs of playing in the G League, receiving little to no playing time in the NBA, and being traded and waived twice all led to a defining moment for Hartenstein, which Florian says was captured atop a Thunder parade bus during Oklahoma City's first championship parade.
“The parade really made the biggest impact, just to see how the crowd was a part of it, and just to see the happiness,” Florian said. “For me, as a dad, I think it was the happiness in his face. This is probably the first time, to me, just to see him be truly happy like a kid, which is hard. As a dad, you always want to see more of that kid part. I think, for me, that was the most touching, like — OK, he's living his dream.”
Eleven games into the regular season, Hartenstein is averaging a double-double (13.4 points, 11.8 rebounds) with the third-highest field-goal percentage (68.5%) in the NBA, 3.3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He's a big reason the defending champion Thunder, amid its best start in franchise history, is 10-1 and has the league's best record.
