Orlando Magic Player Jonathan Isaac Stands for National Anthem, Doesn’t Wear Black Lives Matter Shirt

When the NBA returned to action in the Orlando bubble, players put social justice messages on their jerseys and kneeled during the national anthem. Every player participated, except Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac. He stood for the song and wore his game jersey instead of a Black Lives Matter shirt. Isaac later faced questions about his decision, and he provided a long explanation.

“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,” Isaac said, per Taylor Rooks. “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.

“Each and every one of us do things that we shouldn’t do and say things that we shouldn’t say,” Isaac continued. “We hate and dislike things that we shouldn’t hate and dislike, and sometimes it gets to a point where we point fingers, whose evil is worse, and sometimes it comes down to whose evil is most visible. So I felt like I wanted to take a stand on, we all make mistakes, but I think that the gospel of Jesus Christ is that there’s grace for us, and that Jesus came and died for our sins and that if we all come to an understanding of that and that God wants to have a relationship with us, that we can get kept all of the things in our world that our messed up, jacked up.

“I think when you look around, racism isn’t the only thing that plagues our society, that plagues our nation, that plagues our world, and I think coming together on that message that we want to get past not only racism but everything that plagues as us as a society, I feel like the answer to that is gospel.” This explanation satisfied some NBA fans, but not everyone agreed. Others said that Isaac “owed them an explanation” for standing.

When photos surfaced of the Magic forward, there were immediate reactions on social media. Several people proclaimed that his explanation “was weak” and said that he had paid too much attention to “FOX News.” They also said that it’s “shocking” that he isn’t protesting police brutality.

Others, however, disagreed. They expressed the opinion that Isaac is allowed to stand or kneel during the national anthem. This portion of Twitter users said that his critics were “hypocrites” for calling him out. “So the ‘free speech’ is not an option – it’s do as the others say you should do, or you will be attacked,” one person commented.

A similar situation arose when the NHL returned to action. All of the hockey players stood and linked arms during the national anthem. This action prompted arguments on social media as viewers weighed in. Some said that the players standing is a sign that the NHL “is racist.” Others disagreed and said that it’s impossible to kneel in skates and full pads. The arguments continued while some fans posted photos of themselves kneeling.