One man’s loss is another man’s gain. It was only last season that the Knicks granted Isaiah Hartenstein the opportunity to fill the void inside the paint after injuries sidelined Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson. And the big man rose to the occasion to play a key role in the team’s playoff run. Sure enough, he reaped the benefits of his effort as he inked an $87 million contract with the Thunder this summer. But Hartenstein is no stranger to taking his shot and making the most of it. After all, that’s how he found the love of his life, Kourtney Kellar.

Yes, the Center slid into Kourtney’s Instagram DMs five years ago after being mesmerized by her pictures. She found something unique in his approach. “My Instagram is pretty se*y, so I get a lot of comments about my body, which is nice. But he came in and messaged me something like, ‘You have the most beautiful smile,’ and sent me his favorite photo of me from my feed.”

Well, Kourtney is a well-renowned supermodel with over 676K IG followers, so she has no shortage of online admirers. However, she found it sweet that Hartenstein’s favorite picture of her was the one where she was wearing a turtleneck. Sure enough, that marked the beginning of their love story. But let’s rewind a bit and know more about Kourtney’s life.

From Texas to the ring with Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin

Born as the youngest among three children, Kourtney took her first breath in Dallas, Texas. She continued to live there with her family and later joined Arkansas’ Henderson State University. Although she graduated ten years ago with a degree in athletic training, she began modeling on the side for the money. “I was a broke college kid and needed money, so I started modeling in Arkansas for brands like Dillard’s and Walmart.” She told the New York Post two years ago.

But Kourtney soon realized that she wanted to pursue modeling full-time. She even competed in her University’s Pageant for two straight years. Unfortunately, luck was not in her favor in the beginning as she faced rejections from multiple modeling agencies. However, her fate changed three years after graduation, “After I moved back to Texas, I signed up for Miss Texas International and won that pageant (in 2017)” Sure enough, that proved to be her big break and Kellar was hired as Supercross racing’s Rockstar model and a Tecate ring girl.

Moreover, her first in-ring experience was one she would remember forever, “My first fight was Canelo (Álvarez) versus GGG (Gennady Golovkin) II in Las Vegas (2018).” Yes, Kourtney was part of the epic trilogy that took the boxing world by storm. Obviously, being a ring girl for such a high-profile event helped build her portfolio and her modeling career skyrocketed. Since then, Kellar has signed with Lipps LA and Select Miami, and walked the ramp at the Miami Swim Week and the New York Fashion Week. She was also the ring girl for the Jake Paul vs Anderson Silva fight two years ago. Meanwhile, her relationship with Hartenstein also continued to thrive.

Isaiah Hartenstein and Kourtney Kellar got married and welcomed a baby boy

Following their initial interaction via DMs, Isaiah and Kourtney began FaceTiming and a few weeks later, went on their first date. “I confirmed he wasn’t a serial killer and we met up at a restaurant. It went so great and I was really excited.” She recalled. Well, they officially began dating and the star Center popped the question two years ago at a beach in Malibu. Kellar also shared the moment with her online followers as she captioned the post “Ich hab ja natürlich gesagt ❤️” which translates to “Of course, I said yes.” Obviously, she chose a German caption because Isaiah has his roots there.

Sure enough, the proposal caught Kellar by surprise as she had no idea about Isaiah’s plan, “I ugly cried. I couldn’t believe it. I had never been happier and I was so surprised.” Moreover, the celebrations continued as they got married only a year after the proposal. The venue? A yacht in Newport Beach, California. Only sixty guests were in attendance which indicated it was a close knit ceremony. Isaiah expressed his delight at the scope of the festivities by saying, “Being surrounded by our family and closest friends was the most important thing to us.”

Adding to their joy, the couple welcomed their first child, a boy, earlier this summer. And Kourtney announced his birth with a beautiful family portrait, writing, “05•23•24 Welcome to the world little man 🤍” Despite her successful modeling career and now being a full-time mother, Kellar can frequently be seen sitting in the stands supporting her husband. Moreover, she has been in love with the game since she was little, “Basketball is my favorite sport. I was a huge Dallas Mavericks fan growing up. My dad took me to games all the time as a kid.”

Although her husband does not play for the Mavs, she does not plan on changing her routine of attending live games anytime soon, “One of the things on my bucket list is I want to be that typical old lady dressed to the nines sitting courtside at games. I’m not an old lady yet, but I am definitely enjoying dressing up and going to games.” Now that’s an amazing wife and a true fan!