By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
German club Ratiopharm Ulm announced that NBA player from the Oklahoma City Thunder, Isaiah Hartenstein, has joined their basketball program as an investor.
The BKT EuroCup participant had been looking for strategic investors since the 2023/24 season and had its first contact with the German international during the NBA Summer League.
“I decided to do this because I was looking for a German team that I could be a part of. A team that, if I were younger and wanted to take the next step, would take me there. I feel like they do a great job of developing young talent and helping them advance in their careers. The team is well managed, and although they focus on helping players take the next step, they remain competitive. That mix was really exciting for me. And growing up, I always loved the Ulm fans,” Hartenstein said.
The 26-year-old player, born in the United States, started his career with the German club Artland Dragons and later played for Zalgiris Kaunas before moving back overseas and spending a season in the G League with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
He then began his NBA journey with the Houston Rockets, who drafted him in 2017 as the 43rd overall pick. Two years later, he moved to the Denver Nuggets, then played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers, and New York Knicks before joining the Oklahoma City Thunder last summer.
At OKC’s away game in Orlando, Isaiah Hartenstein met with Ulm’s managing director, Dr. Thomas Stoll.
“Isaiah told me that he wanted to surprise his father Florian with the news after his return to Oklahoma. Florian Hartenstein will also be involved as a thank-you for his tireless work. Isaiah has founded a holding company, the Hartenstein Group, in which, in addition to himself and his father, an old acquaintance of ours will also be involved: Adam Hess, who played for Ratiopharm Ulm from 2013 to 2015.”
The Hartenstein Group will take over up to 10% of the shares in the Ulm basketball program.