In the wake of Isaiah Hartenstein’s injury, the Oklahoma City Thunder are signing center/forward Alex Reese to a standard contract for the regular season, agent Billy Davis told ESPN on Saturday.

Reese is getting a non-guaranteed deal as the Thunder add a big man, while Hartenstein will miss five to six weeks with a small, non-displaced fracture in his left hand. Reese, 25, spent the preseason with the Thunder before being fired this week.

Reese is on a fascinating journey to this NBA contract. He retired from basketball in 2021 after four seasons at Alabama and served as a bartender for a year. Reese then played in Luxembourg in 2022 before joining the Portland Trail Blazers G League club last season.