“When you're there, that's when you play your best,” he said.
Hartenstein said that focus helped him transform from role player to starter for the Knicks, a 50-win team that earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. And perhaps that will lead to big raises in free agency this summer's market. He averaged 7.8 points and 8.3 rebounds during the regular season, anchoring the NBA's ninth-ranked defense.
Hartenstein was one of the first NBA players to adopt meditation, which was first popularized in the league by Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson. The “Zen Master” leads regular team meditation and yoga sessions and emphasizes the importance of mindfulness, from 1991 to 2010 when he played for the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles for his Lakers. led him to his 11th NBA championship.
These days, everyone from stars like Lakers forward LeBron James and Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray to role players like Phoenix Suns forward Royce O'Neal and Sacramento Kings two-way meditate regularly. Players who put this into practice can now be seen in every corner of the league. Guard Mason Jones.
In a sport that glorifies workaholism, where success is often measured by sweating, it may seem odd for athletes to stop and focus on their breathing. But for some, bringing mindfulness to the court may be the difference between a good game and a bad game.
And as the NBA Playoffs get into full swing, the focus on player performance will become even brighter, emphasizing the importance of finding peace under pressure.
“I started to realize that a lot of things in sports are actually much more mental than physical,” Hartenstein said. “I found that meditation not only allowed me to feel more present in my daily life, but also helped me feel more present during the game.”
During the 2020-21 season while with the Nuggets, Hartenstein read “Mind Gym'' by Gary Mack and “Mindful'' by George Mumford, a sports psychologist who worked with Jackson's Bulls and Lakers teams. After reading two books called “Athlete,'' I started meditating. . These days, in addition to his pregame routine, Hartenstein uses the app Headspace to meditate for about 15 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes at night. Sometimes, if he notices his mind swirling on the court, he may take a few meditative breaths without closing his eyes during a break in the game.
“You probably won't see it unless you pay close attention,” said the Knicks, who helped the Knicks take a 2-0 series lead over the Philadelphia 76ers in a first-round playoff matchup. Hartenstein said. “I take one long breath, then one last breath, then exhale. I do it one to three times. It helps center me.”
Jones, who has split his time this season between the Kings' main roster and the franchise's G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings, has worked hard to stay grounded on the court and between the two teams. I also turned to mindfulness to maintain my calm while going back and forth.
Before games this season, whether against Sacramento or Stockton, Jones would find a quiet room, sit in a chair and take 10 minutes of deep breaths. He also practiced mindfulness during matches. During the third quarter of Stockton's G League playoff game against the Santa Cruz Warriors this month, Jones felt his mind wandering. During the timeout, he closed his eyes and took five deep breaths. Then, with 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter, he beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer to give the Kings the lead for good.
“Before you get angry, take a breath. Before you make a decision, take a breath. Close your eyes and breathe,” said Jones, who returned to the NBA in February after two years overseas. He talked about the mindset that helped him.
O'Neal, who averaged 25.1 minutes with the Suns after being traded midseason from Brooklyn, also has a routine. He meditates the night before a game and in the locker room about 30 minutes before tip-off. He lies on the locker room floor, cues up a playlist of “spa music,” and takes five minutes to breathe deeply. This helps block noise from the crowd once play begins.
“It's like they're not even there,” O'Neill said.
The conversation surrounding mental health in the NBA has changed over the past decade, with several teams now employing mental performance coaches. Irwin Valencia, who played that role with the Knicks, helped bridge the gap from Jackson's era to the present day.
In 2014, Jackson became the Knicks' team president. The following year, Valencia, then the team's director of training and conditioning, suggested Jackson introduce meditation to the Knicks, Valencia said. He grew up idolizing Jackson and described their relationship as similar to “Luke Skywalker and Yoda”.
“We started by doing meditations like this whenever he was in New York,” Valencia said of Jackson. “He would do it at odd times, so it ruffled a few feathers for the players. … He showed up and said, 'Today is the day we meditate.' And the players came out of practice drenched in sweat. They were like, “What are we doing?” Some of the younger players thought, “What does this old man want us to do?'' ”
Valencia planned to make meditation more accessible to a generation of players glued to their phones. He arranged for his team to have free access to his Headspace, which had launched in 2012 and had yet to explode in popularity.
Jackson and the Knicks parted ways in June 2017, but Valencia continued to help his players practice mindfulness. The rest of the league began to catch on as well. Valencia connected Headspace founders with NBA leadership, and the league reached a partnership with the app in 2018. All NBA players and employees were granted access to Headspace. The league has created guided training videos for the app.
For the next few years, Valencia led the Knicks in practice and pregame breathing sessions. Valencia said some players, including veteran forward Julius Randle, rolled their eyes. Randle won the league's Most Improved Player Award in 2020-21, but after his play slowed the following season, he approached Valencia about incorporating meditation into his daily routine.
At the beginning of the 2022-23 season, the MSG Network aired footage of Valencia coaching Randle in pregame meditation from the Knicks' bench minutes before the game started at Madison Square Garden.Their routine started with Randall rubbing in an essential oil blend. Randle averaged 25.1 points and 10 rebounds and was named to the All-NBA Third Team.
Valencia also taught Hartenstein and former Knicks forward Obi Toppin to meditate before games. Although he left the Knicks after last season, his influence remains. In addition to Hartenstein, Randle also continued to meditate before games until suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in January.
“When you're an athlete, you have to train yourself to find calm in the midst of madness,” Valencia said. “If you are used to meditating or practicing mindfulness in constant silence, you can feel overwhelmed the moment you step outside, especially in a garden.
“Practicing consistently in a space of madness, like practicing in a space of peace, allows you to find peace in madness.”
Before Game 2 against the 76ers on Tuesday, Hartenstein sat quietly on the bench and closed his eyes as his teammates hit jumpers. Nearly three hours later, with New York leading with 13 seconds left, he jumped over multiple defenders and grabbed an offensive rebound, leading to guard Donte DiVincenzo's go-ahead 3-pointer with 13 seconds left. On the next possession, he blocked Philadelphia guard Tyrese Maxey's layup attempt, wreaking havoc on the Garden and preserving the Knicks' 104-101 victory.
Hartenstein raised his fist and roared. His eyes were wide open.
