As a career journeyman, you don’t really form close bonds with the fanbases you represent. Instead, you’re more focused on continuing your NBA career and what the next potential stop could be as a contingency plan. Every day on a roster is a win.

Now that Isaiah Hartenstein has graduated into one of the better starting centers, he’s had time to enrich himself with the Oklahoma City Thunder and their fanbase. An NBA championship forever wrote him into their lore, regardless of how long he stays.

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At his 2025-26 preseason press conference, Sam Presti couldn’t help but smile. He talked about how Hartenstein has fully dived into being a community member. His foundation has hosted an event every other week since his arrival. He’s opened a handful of basketball courts under his name.

After a short three-month offseason, Hartenstein is ready to get back to work. The Thunder hosted their 2025-26 Media Day on Monday. The 27-year-old will be part of OKC’s championship reign. He had a career season as a double-double machine. It’ll do him some good both in his title aspirations and wallet if he had a similar campaign.

Before the Thunder start their journey, though, Hartenstein reflected on his community involvement in OKC. He said upon his arrival, the franchise and city made a strong first impression on him that has stuck with him in the year since.

“I think I’ve told the story a couple of times when I first got here. Sam Presti took us through the Memorial and going through that, seeing what the city has been through,” Hartenstein said. “But kind of seeing how from like such a dark time that the city made light of it.”

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Hartenstein is referring to the Oklahoma City Memorial Museum. It is a memorial site that honors the victims, survivors, rescuers and those affected by the 1995 OKC bombing. Anytime the Thunder add a new player, one of their first stops is at the museum to familiarize themselves with the city.

“For me, after seeing that, I really wanted to uphold the Oklahoma standard and kind of really be ingrained in the community and really find ways to make a real impact,” Hartenstein said. “I’m not just trying to drop off a check and say, ‘Here, here you go.’ I mean, for me, it’s how do I make a long-lasting impact.”

Well, Hartenstein’s work has been noticed. Anytime it’s posted on social media, the comments are filled with love and appreciation. NBA players’ involvement in the communities they play for is one of the more humane sides of the basketball world.

Regardless of how long Hartenstein is on the Thunder, he will always be a fan favorite for what he’s done on and off the court. You couldn’t have pictured their marriage going any better since they added the seven-footer as their biggest outside free agent in franchise history.

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Isaiah Hartenstein on why he wants to ‘uphold the Oklahoma standard’