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Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein went viral on Sunday night for not properly supporting the floppy head of his sleepy young son while celebrating OKC’s 2025 NBA title win.
During the postgame celebrations after the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Game 7 win over the Indiana Pacers, a video of Isaiah Hartenstein celebrating with his young son in his arms went viral, but not for the right reasons.
As Hartenstein was soaking in the joy of the moment, his son’s head was flopping around to such an extent that regular season and NBA Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander decided to step in.
SUPPORT THE NECK ISAIAH HARTENSTEIN!! Goodness gracious! pic.twitter.com/yr01hca2mB
— Steven Cheah (@StevenCheah) June 23, 2025
That face 🤣 pic.twitter.com/b70s1lYutv
— Jay Garcia (@LeftWithLimits) June 23, 2025
SGA looked so disappointed lol
— Sans Marducas (@certifiedopiner) June 23, 2025
“What a cool time to hold your son for the first time lmao,” joked one of the top replies.
Hartenstein was selected by the Houston Rockets with the 43rd overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft following a stinkt with Žalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania.
His NBA journey began when he moved to the Denver Nuggets in 2020. Hartenstein then played for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2021 and the Los Angeles Clippers in 2022 before joining the New York Knicks, whhere he was a stater for two seasons.
The 27-year-old signed for the Oklahoma City Thunder prior to the start of this season and averaged career highs in points per game (11.2), rebounds per game (10.7), and assists per game (3.8).
The Oklahoma City Thunder 2025 championship made Hartenstein the second-ever German player to win the NBA title following Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki. While he born in Eugene, Oregon, he holds a German citizenship and lived in Germany from 2008 to 2017.
With such a young core of players, the Thunder have been immediately installed to repeat as 2026 NBA Champions with future betting odds of about +220.