The exodus of German and European talent to U.S. colleges has become the norm since the NIL deals were introduced. The continent’s talent incubators are seeing their business models curtailed. Ulm investor Isaiah Hartenstein, however, remains unfazed.
NBA star Isaiah Hartenstein is currently visiting the southern German basketball stronghold of Ulm for the second time. It was only last year that the future NBA champion with the Oklahoma City Thunder acquired a stake in the Ulm team. His goal: to provide Europe’s top talents with an even smoother transition to the NBA.
In the second summer since his investment, this goal was only partially achieved. Although four players made the move across the Atlantic, not a single one joined the NBA. Instead, Alec Anigabta, Joel Cwik, Diego Garavaglia, and Endurance Aiyamenkhue all headed to college, where, thanks to NIL deals, they can now earn NBA-level salaries.
For Ulm co-owner Isaiah Hartenstein, however, this isn’t a tragedy. For some players, the move to North American universities would actually be more worthwhile—especially financially: “If you’re honest, some of them will never earn that much again afterward.”
In Ulm, the focus is not only on the club’s interests but also on the players’ well-being, according to Hartenstein: “If you view this issue as nothing but a nuisance, then you won’t be able to see anything positive in it. For us, it’s always important to figure out how we can help these young players and how we can make their dreams come true,” he said, giving a strong pitch for the city as a destination.
Hartenstein: NBA talents will continue to come to us
This partial drain of talent is manageable, he said, precisely because it doesn’t affect all players. Those young players who harbor NBA ambitions early on should continue to prefer making the move via Europe. “You have everything you need in Ulm. You play against men, you play in the EuroCup, you play at a high level.” Those, he said, are simply the factors most conducive to an NBA career. “And as far as money goes, you’ll probably earn more if you stay here and then make the move,” Hartenstein claimed.
The 2.13-meter-tall center ultimately followed that same path himself. Although the NCAA option wasn’t as prominent back then, Hartenstein still consciously chose the European route and joined Zalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania, where he developed into a professional.
The decision to leave Germany has had a lasting impact on Hartenstein’s current commitment in Ulm. Back then, moving abroad was the only option. Today, he wants to help change that: “We didn’t want to go abroad,” he clarifies. “We didn’t want to do that as young players. But we had no other choice.”