A Remarkable Christian and NBA Player
Back in July 2020, the NBA restarted its regular season after the NBA’s postponement in March 2020 (due to the COVID-19 pandemic). So, the Orlando Magic played on the first night of the NBA restart. The part of this NBA game that made headlines actually occurred before the game. Every single NBA player on opening night of the restart kneeled during the national anthem–except for one guy: Jonathan Isaac. Unlike the rest of this team, he stood during the National Anthem. He also did not wear any Black Lives Matter apparel. His decision must have been tough due to the immense peer pressure he felt from the NBA and the sports media. Although Jonathan Isaac appears to be a mature man, you might know that he was only twenty-two years old back in the Summer of 2020. Clearly, he possesses a lot of courage–which seems hard to find among Americans nowadays.
Interestingly, Isaac’s actions were not politically-motivated. Instead, they came from another source: his Christian faith. We will get to that fact in a second. First, let’s see what happened in his post-game interview.
After the game, a sports reporter baited Isaac with the loaded question “do black lives matter?” Here is Jonathan Isaac eloquent response in the face of immense pressure:
“Absolutely. I believe that Black Lives Matter. A lot went into my decision. And part of it is, first off, is my thought that kneeling or wearing a Black Lives Matter t-shirt don’t go hand in hand with supporting Black lives. So I felt like, just me personally, what it is that I believe is standing on the stance that: I do believe that Black Lives Matter, but I just felt like it was a decision that I had to make and I didn’t feel like putting that shirt on and kneeling went hand in hand in supporting Black lives, or that it made me support Black lives or not.”
After his initial response in this interview, Isaac mentioned that problems do exist in American society due to people’s sinful nature. However, Jonathan Isaac gave a different answer to erasing human hatred. He believes that the Good News of Jesus Christ is the real answer to societal problems and sin. What a wonderful response! In a tense time and situation, he confessed Jesus Christ in front of a hostile culture.
Here is a video to his entire post-game interview response:
Jonathan Isaac received plenty of criticism and praise after the game. Unfortunately, this story took a turn for the worse after he tore his ACL in the second game of the season. Many people from the Internet mob–including ESPN host Dan LeBatard–mocked Isaac for his injury. None of the insults fazes Jonathan Isaac. He has kept an upbeat, positive attitude during the recovery process and has promised to come back stronger than ever.
The Dan LeBatard Show tweet:
The Impact
Jonathan Isaac is a true inspiration to young Christian men like myself. At the age of twenty-two, Isaac stood up and confessed Jesus Christ in a hostile environment and culture. Besides playing in the NBA, he is active in the Orlando community and his church. For instance, he has previously preached at JUMP Ministries Global Church in Orlando. Here is the link to Jonathan Isaac’s message at his Church back in January 2018:
Isaac invited his Magic teammates to show up to his Church to hear him speak. Unfortunately, none of them showed up. This situation did not bother Jonathan Isaac. Still, he clearly shows his devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ.
To close this post, I just want to thank Jonathan Isaac for becoming such an excellent role model for young Christian men. He clearly has a passion for our Lord Jesus Christ. It cannot be easy to live as a Christian in the NBA. Many temptations must abound concerning money, women, and fame. In spite of all these worldly pleasures, Isaac has fervently followed Christ.
I wish him the best in the his recovery as well in the rest of his NBA career. May God Bless him in all his ways!
One more thing, here is an interview Jonathan Isaac did back in October 2020 with a Christian YouTuber: