'Explain your blackness': Josh Hart hilariously gets Isaiah Hartenstein to deep-dive into his ethnicity

New York Knicks wing player Josh Hart was curious about the ethnicity of his teammate, Isaiah Hartenstein. While he appears to be Caucasian, Hartenstein is mixed race. The German-American big man talked about it when he appeared on the "Roommates Show."

Hartenstein has become a Knicks' fan favorite this season. As a backup big man, he's done an exceptional job of taking over while Mitchell Robinson recovers from injury. As a starter, the big man is averaging 8.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists.

Looking at his physical appearance, one would immediately assume that he's simply white. But there's an interesting fact about Hartenstein that's not obvious at first glance. Nor is it obvious at the second or third glance. The 7-foot big man revealed on the show that he's part-black.

"Explain your blackness," Hart said.

"You know it's like, lightskin? I'm brightskin," Hartenstein said. "I'm above lightskin, my dad is black... when they found out I'm black, the handshake changes. The whole vibe changes."

Hartenstein said he had the same encounter with Hart. When the Knicks forward found out about the big man being part-black, he interacted with him in an entirely different way.

Hartenstein's father, Florian, is half-black. He was also a basketball player in Germany and played the center position, much like his son.

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Josh Hart addresses the city rivalries

Four teams in the NBA are either located in the same city or are close to each other, which creates a rivalry. In Los Angeles, there are the LA Lakers and Clippers, while in the state of New York, the Knicks and Brooklyn Nets reside.

Due to this arrangement, fans and even organizations have created historic rivalries. Josh Hart is one of the few people who have had the opportunity to play for both the Knicks and the Lakers. With his experience playing in both major cities, he shared his take on the city rivalries the four teams have.

"[Los Angeles] will never be a Clipper town, ever," Hart said. "...Like New York, ain't nobody rocking with Brooklyn."

Hart also took a shot at fellow Villanova alum and now Nets star, Mikal Bridges. He called him "Squidward," from the hit Nickelodeon show "Spongebob Squarepants." The show has a ton of memes, and one of them is called "Squiward Looking Out the Window" meme.

Hart is implying that he, Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo are all having fun with the Knicks, while Bridges is just watching from afar.

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