New OKC Thunder Player Reveals Message From Russell Westbrook

Oklahoma City Thunder legend Russell Westbrook texted their newest player

Feb 22, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; LA Clippers guard Russell Westbrook (0) waves to fans as he enters the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder recently signed center Isaiah Hartenstein to a three-year, $87M contract in free agency. Hartenstein earned every bit of this contract, having to compete for a roster spot in LA Clippers training camp just a few seasons ago.

Hartenstein had a great season with the Clippers after making their team out of camp, but it ended up being just a one-year partership despite his desire to re-sign. After the Clippers opted for John Wall over re-signing Hartenstein in the 2022 summer, the center signed a contract with the New York Knicks where he emerged as one of the most reliable bigs in the league.

Earning himself a big contract with Oklahoma City, Hartenstein will help anchor a team that finished first in the Western Conference standings this past season. Speaking with the media in OKC for the first time, Hartenstein revealed that Thunder legend Russell Westbrook sent him a text:

Asked Isaiah Hartenstein his thoughts on being viewed as the biggest FA signing in Thunder history

Mentioned how when he was in Germany, he used to watch KD/Russ/Harden. Said Russ was one of the 1st guys to text him and told him if he needs anything from “the O” to text him pic.twitter.com/kYM71zRTLx

— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) July 6, 2024

Westbrook is the greatest player in Thunder franchise history, so a message like this has to mean a lot to Hartenstein. The two played together briefly with the Houston Rockets, but Hartenstein only averaged 11.6 minutes per game that season, which was his second year in the league.

While Hartenstein did not play a lot with Houston, Westbrook spoke highly of his play during that season:

Russell Westbrook on Isaiah Hartenstein: "He's doing a great job of playing hard. If he plays hard, everything else will take care of itself. At his age, his youth, the only thing he should be worried about is playing hard and he's doing that at a very high level right now." pic.twitter.com/c43dPtANj0

— Salman Ali (@SalmanAliNBA) January 12, 2020

Opting in to the final year of his contract with the LA Clippers, Westbrook is expected to be traded at some point this offseason, with the Denver Nuggets showing strong interest in acquiring him.

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