Isaiah Hartenstein may have just been crowned an NBA champion, but it was his son who stole the show in the moments following the Oklahoma City Thunder’s title-clinching victory over the Indiana Pacers. The veteran center’s one-year-old was fast asleep as the league’s newest champions were being interviewed. Hartenstein, though, was too wrapped up in the moment to notice his infant’s head lolling.
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Hartenstein awkwardly held his son as he enthusiastically fired up the home crowd, unintentionally neglecting to support the baby’s neck. Seeing this, Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stepped in to help, gently trying to cradle the child’s head as I-Hart remained oblivious.
For nearly a minute, Hartenstein didn’t notice his son’s head drooping, and the lighthearted moment quickly went viral. The seventh-year center was recently asked about the incident during his appearance on Pardon My Take. He chuckled when Big Cat brought it up, then introduced his son, who, this time, was wide awake.
Even fully conscious, though, the young boy was disinterested in his father’s recent achievement. “He could care less,” Hartenstein responded after Big Cat asked if I-Hart’s son knew he was a champion. “All he wanted to do was go home and listen to Elmo. He didn’t care about anything about the NBA Championship.”
Hartenstein was happy his son managed to catch some Z’s, though. “It was amazing. I might need the arena sound now for the crib,” Hartenstein said with a laugh. “Because he was dead asleep. He doesn’t even sleep that good at home. So, I’m like, ‘I need to figure this out or something.’ But it was an amazing moment, and now he’s up.”
Big Cat then pointed out how the reigning MVP attempted to step in to help in arguably the funniest moment of the clip. SGA did his best to keep his teammate focused on his son, but Hartenstein was simply too caught up in the excitement. He admitted his struggle to do two things at once while trying to soak it all in.
“I was very bad at multitasking,” Hartenstein continued. “She was asking questions, his head was falling to the side. But I have great teammates who help me with my fathering every now and then. So, it was good.”
After inking a three-year, $87 million contract with the Thunder last offseason, Hartenstein is poised to play a key role in the team’s title defense next season. If OKC does manage to go back-to-back, maybe his son will be a bit more engaged by then.
