Star NBA Center Joins Ownership Group of German Basketball Club

One prominent NBA player has now joined the ownership group of a basketball team overseas.

Dec 26, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) passes the ball while Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

A lot of current and former NBA players have talked about owning teams. Some of them have joined ownership groups in the NBA or WNBA. Some of them have decided to go overseas and join an ownership group of a basketball team in a foreign league instead.

There is a lot of good basketball that is played outside of the NBA. The rest of the world is starting to get better at the game of basketball, and we have seen that in the Olympics. Serbia almost upset Team USA and almost kept them from winning a Gold Medal in Paris.

Foreign players who are in the NBA know that more than the American players. One player who has German heritage has decided to join the ownership group of a team in the German Bundesliga, which is the top basketball league in Germany and it is also one of the best leagues in the world.

Isaiah Hartenstein, the starting center for the Oklahoma City Thunder, has decided to join the ownership group of German basketball club Ratiopharm Ulm. He becomes the latest NBA player to join the ownership group of a team that plays overseas in a different league.

Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein has joined the ownership group of German basketball club Ratiopharm Ulm. The 2023 German Bundesliga champions have produced three NBA draft picks, with two more prospects currently projected as 2025 first round selections.

— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) December 27, 2024

Hartenstein decided to make this move for a few different reasons. He says the club is extremely well-run, and he thinks they do a good job of developing players. Hartenstein was looking for a German basketball team to get involved with, and he decided on this one.

Once Hartenstein's playing career is over, he can focus on running some of the operations for this German team. He is German, so this is deeply personal for him. It would be a cool thing if he could get involved with this team and turn them into a championship contender.

Hartenstein isn't going to be done playing in the NBA anytime soon. He is just 26 years old and is playing in the prime of his career. In the offseason, he signed a three-year $87 million deal to sign in Oklahoma City. Hartenstein still has business to take care of in his own career.

Right now, Ratiopharm Ulm is fourth in the Bundesliga standings with a 7-4 record. Hartenstein is hoping to make them a perennial contender in one of the best leagues in the world. Having an NBA player as part of the ownership group should help that.

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