Jonathan Isaac: What to Know About the NBA Player Who Refused to Kneel With Teammates

Jonathan Isaac has gained a lot of attention over the past week. When the NBA resumed the 2019-20 season, the Orlando Magic player was seen standing during the national anthem while the rest of his teammates were kneeling. Not too long after Isaac explained to reporters why he didn’t kneel during the national anthem, he suffered a season-ending injury as he tore his ACL.

“That one brought me to tears, and instantly — just because I know how good of a guy J.I. is and how hard he works and how hard he has worked to get back since hurting himself in D.C. That was tough,” Aaron Gordon said via ESPN. The good news for Isaac and the Magic is he underwent successful ACL surgery. It’s doubtful he will return once the NBA starts the 2020-21 season, but he should be able to return to action sometime next year.

When Isaac was asked about standing during the national anthem, he said he believes that Black lives matter but didn’t think kneeling or wearing a shirt goes with supporting Black lives. Isaac received some heat for his move, but ultimately, the priority for him is to recover from his ACL injury. Here’s a look at what to know about Isaac.

Florida State Standout

Isaac played college basketball at Florida State. And made an immediate impact. During the 2016-17 season, Isaac was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team after leading the team to an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. 

Five-Star Recruit

Before doing big things at Florida State, Isaac was making name for himself on the high school level. He attended IMG Academy in 2016 and averaged 17.6 points and 10 rebounds per game. He was a five-star prospect via 247Sports and was listed as the eighth-best player in the country. 

Top Draft Pick

Isaac was drafted No. 6 overall by the Magic in 2017. Isaac’s draft class includes Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell and Bam Adebayo, and those three have played in at least one All-Star game. Isacc was looking to have a strong rookie season, but that didn’t happen for one reason. 

Slow Start

Isaac only played 27 games during his rookie season became of an ankle injury. He finished the year averaging 5.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Things would get better for Isaac once he was able to get healthy. 

Improving

During the 2018-19 season, Isaac played in 75 games with 64 starts and averaged 9.6 and 5.5 players per game. In Jan. 2019, Isaac posted a career-high 13 rebounds in a win against the Indiana Pacers. He scored a career-high 20 points in February against the New Orleans Pelicans. 

Why Did Isaac Stand?

When asked about standing during the national anthem, Isaac said: “I believe that Black Lives Matter. A lot went into my decision, and part of it is, I thought that kneeling or wearing the Black Lives Matter T-shirt doesn’t go hand-in-hand with supporting Black lives. So I felt like, just me personally, what is that I believe is taking on a 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 with supporting Black lives. I believe that for myself, my life has been supported by Gospel, Jesus Christ, and everyone is made in the image of God and that we all forge through God’s glory.”

Knee Injury

This was a very scary injury for Isaac, but he will be okay. Based on how Isaac was playing this season, it looked like he was coming into his own. The knee injury is a setback, but Magic fans have to be happy with what they saw from Isaac this year.