Elijah Hartenstein missed a major milestone in his dad’s professional career on Sunday night, though it’s hard to blame him.
After all, he’s only about a year old.
Elijah was spotted completely passed out with his dad, Oklahoma City center Isaiah Harteinstein, as the Thunder accepted their trophy after winning the NBA Finals on Sunday night. Pretty quickly, Elijah stole the show during the ceremony.
“I don’t know why he’s asleep right now, but I guess it’s not loud enough,” Hartenstein joked before waving at the crowd.
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Throughout it all, Elijah didn’t flinch — and that drew plenty of attention.
Hartenstein had seven points and nine rebounds in the Thunder’s 193-91 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 on Sunday night, which gave them the franchise’s first NBA title since it relocated from Seattle to Oklahoma City. Hartenstein averaged 5.6 points and 6.7 rebounds throughout the NBA Finals. The 27-year-old just finished his first year of a three-year, $87 million deal with the Thunder.
While Elijah wasn’t actually awake for the trophy end of the ceremony on Sunday night, he was seen with his eyes open for a little bit of it. And, above all else, at least he was there. That’s a moment his dad is sure to remember for the rest of his life, even if he can’t.
