Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein is excited to return to the German national team for this month’s 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifiers, marking his first appearance for Germany since 2018.
“I’m really happy,” Hartenstein said. “I actually wanted to play for the last two years.”
Hartenstein explained that establishing himself in the NBA prevented him from representing Germany earlier in his career.
“For the first four or five years, I had to prove myself in the NBA. It was important to me what the teams thought and how I could establish myself there. I was often told I should stay and train. But now that I’m firmly established in the NBA and have found my role, I’ve always wanted to play and give something back,” Hartenstein said.
Now established with the Thunder, Hartenstein wants to contribute to Germany’s continued success while helping basketball grow in the country for future generations.
“I want to help the next generation and push German basketball so that when my son hopefully starts playing someday, the sport will be even bigger. I want people to be able to look back and say, ‘We really did something for German basketball’,” Hartenstein said of his goals with the defending FIBA World Cup champions.
Isaiah Hartenstein Returns To Germany For FIBA World Cup Qualifiers https://t.co/XEg6rWFHwU
— RealGM (@RealGM) August 17, 2026
