Young Thunder fan surprised with signed Isaiah Hartenstein jersey

After a quick interaction with Isaiah Hartenstein during Tuesday's Champions parade in Oklahoma City, a young Thunder fan is receiving a gift from the star player.

Wednesday, June 25th 2025, 6:49 pm

By: Christian Hans, Haley Hetrick


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After a brief interaction with one of the Oklahoma City Thunder's star players, a young fan is getting much more than he could've imagined out of the experience.

WATCH: Oklahoma City Thunder 2025 Champions Parade News 9 full broadcast

10-year-old Archie Davenport Jr. was one among thousands of Thunder fans lining the streets of downtown Oklahoma City on Tuesday, as they all waited for their chance to catch a glimpse of the team they love and their championship trophy.

When the 2025 Champions Parade passed by Archie, though, some of the Thunder players stepped off their bus and walked down the street, interacting with fans as they went by.

When Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein came by, high-fiving fans along the way, he made a stop right in front of Archie, where the two briefly embraced and jumped up and screamed in excitement before Hartenstein continued on the parade route.

After Tuesday's parade, Hartenstein took to social media, asking the community for help in identifying Archie to give him a jersey.

Isaiah Hartenstein and Archie Davenport

On Wednesday, Archie, along with his mother, Dee Dee Grant, appeared on News 9 at 9 with Robin Marsh, where they were surprised with a Thunder gift bag and a jersey signed by Hartenstein himself.

Archie said that when he encountered Hartenstein, he felt an urge to reach out for the Thunder star.

"It was like a message from Jesus and God," Archie said. “It feels really good. I know Jesus sent this to me, Jesus sent this to me. Pray every night guys because Jesus can send you a gift like this too."

Archie said he did not know why Hartenstein chose him out of so many others in the crowd, but was excited for the opportunity regardless.

"Probably because I was just jumping, so excitedly," Archie said. "Me and my friend, we started jumping up and down. We saw him and he was really big."

Archie's mother, Dee Dee, said her son has always had plenty of energy, which probably helped him stand out in the crowd.

"I've always said he's destined ... He's destined for greatness, isn't he?" she said. "It was like amazing, the emotion of it all, I love it."

Dee Dee said moments like this are priceless.

“I took off work yesterday and I started telling him I'm gonna lose hours, but I didn't lose this memory for sure,” she said.

"I'm gonna put it in a frame, Archie said. "It makes me feel great."

Archie says he will never forget this moment.

“Today is like Christmas to me and it's in June,” said Archie. “Thank you so much, Isaiah Hartenstein. I will never forget this moment ever, never ever.”

OKC Thunder Parade Highlights

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Thunder players shout out loyal fans amidst championship celebration

OKC Mayor Holt declares multiple days to honor Thunder’s Championship win

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Christian Hans

Christian Hans is a Digital Content Producer for News 9. He joined News 9 full-time in July of 2022 after graduating from the University of Oklahoma. 

Haley Hetrick

Haley Hetrick joined the News 9 team as a multimedia journalist in August 2022. She now works as the Capitol Reporter, reporting on legislative issues statewide. When not at the state capitol, Haley is on general assignment covering everything from crime to feature stories.

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