Isaiah Hartenstein was introduced as the new investor in ratiopharm Ulm a week ago. Now the center of the Oklahoma City Thunder explained his motives and talked about a possible comeback in the national team.
“I always wanted to give something back to Germany,” Hartenstein said in an interview with former national player Bastian Doreth in the Dyn format Bastis Corner. “Ulm and I have the same goals. They want to help young players get into the NBA and support their development.”
Two of Europe’s most promising talents, Ben Saraf and Noa Essengue, are currently playing for the 2023 champions, and both are being tipped as potential first-round picks in the upcoming draft. With Killian Hayes, Juan Nunez and Pacome Dadiet, three talents have already been drafted from Ulm in recent years, and with Daniel Theis, Andi Obst and David Krämer, various current national team players have appeared in the ratiopharm Arena.
Hartenstein was particularly impressed by the balancing act that Ulm seems to pull off year after year. “They give the young players minutes and still manage to play at a high level.” This season, Ulm is once again in a playoff spot, and it also has a good chance of advancing in the EuroCup.
Hartenstein on Ulm: ‘That didn’t happen in my day’
Nevertheless, many talented German players continue to leave for abroad, with new national player Jack Kayil, for example, leaving Vechta for Serbia in the summer. Hartenstein himself was also unable to gain a foothold in the BBL as a young player. At the age of 16, the center played one game for the Artland Dragons, who withdrew from the BBL shortly afterwards.
“In my time, there was no program like Ulm in Germany,“ Hartenstein noted. The league was strong, but I went to Lithuania when I was 17 because young players didn’t get a chance in the BBL.” Instead, Hartenstein spent almost two years at Zalgiris Kaunas and also got occasional chances in the EuroLeague.
The 26-year-old was eventually drafted by the Houston Rockets in the second round, and in his seventh NBA season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the center is now an established player and signed a three-year contract worth $87 million in the summer. Hartenstein will now put some of that into ratiopharm Ulm.
Hartenstein on making a comeback for the German national team
The big man is often not present for well-known reasons, but in the summer Hartenstein will be found on the Orange Campus. I can always go there in the summer and help these players. We’ll try to organize a camp there and see if it makes sense to do it in several cities,” the German announced.
However, Hartenstein may also have other commitments in the summer when he could possibly play for the DBB team again after seven years. But that is all still a long way off. Although Hartenstein definitely wants to play, the center did not give a clear commitment.
“I can’t say when that will be. It has to fit. I haven’t had any contact yet. I also can’t make a commitment for three or four years like I did under Gordon Herbert. An NBA season lasts 82 games and I’ve always been in the playoffs in recent years and that’s not so good for the body.”
