Jonathan Isaac Reflects on Standing for National Anthem: ‘Going to Trust God’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac revealed why he decided to stand for the national anthem in 2020 amid a league-wide push to kneel to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
“There was just so much pressure. Not even just in the bubble, but just around the world with the rise of the Black Lives Matter organization and movement,” Isaac told podcaster and former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines.
While every other NBA player kneeled as the national anthem was played, Isaac chose to stand, leading to national attention for his decision.
“For me, it was simply about offering another solution,” he said. “I saw the issue. I saw the problem. I saw what happened to George Floyd. And as I listened to the tone and the rhetoric of the Black Lives Matter organization and movement, I never truly felt comfortable.”
While not every player who knelt during that time may have fully agreed with the Black Lives Matter movement, Isaac recalls that the pressure to show support was extremely high.
“Getting into the bubble, I’m faced with this moment of being with my teammates the day before I decided to stand, and we’re having this team-only meeting, and they’re saying, ‘We don’t have a choice. A team already knelt the day before. We’re just going to go along with it and everybody be happy,’” he recalled.
“I said, ‘Fellas, I’m not going to kneel, and I’m not going to wear that T-shirt. Simply because I have another solution,’” he said. “‘I don’t believe that kneeling for the national anthem or wearing a T-shirt is the same thing as saying that we support Black lives. They’re not synonymous.’”
“I believe that the ultimate answer is that if White and Black people collectively can choose to love each other in spite of the differences, in spite of the fallouts, in spite of the sins of each other, then we could have true change,” he continued. “We all fall short of God’s glory. We’ve all done wrong, and it’s easy to point the finger at somebody when their wrong is displayed. But if ours were, how would we want to be handled?”
While Isaac felt this conviction strongly, it was still a difficult decision, especially given that he was still early in his career. Ultimately, advice from his pastor gave him the courage to stand.
“He said to me, ‘Jonathan, you cannot stand for God, and God not stand for you.’ And that was kind of the mic-drop moment of ‘I’m going through with this. I’m going to trust God,’” he explained.
“I know that it’s not about me wanting the spotlight. It’s not about me wanting fame. It would be easier for me to just go along with what everybody is doing,” Isaac continued.
“So, I went through with it. I stood. There was a ton of backlash and fallout, but at the end of the day, there was so much positivity and people understand why I did what I did,” he recalled. “And believers as well coming together and saying, ‘This is the message that needs to be resounded.’”
“It’s not saying that Black lives don’t matter. It’s not saying that what happened to George Floyd wasn’t wrong. It’s saying that this is the unifying message that can actually bring people together. And also that racism is not the only thing that plagues our society,” he added. “We all fall short. We’ve all done things that are wrong. And, again, if we are going to throw stones at a person or an entire race, for that matter, we’re throwing stones from a glass house.”
“I feel like for me Black lives are supported through the Gospel,” he said at the time. “All lives are supported through the Gospel. That we all have things that we do wrong and sometimes it gets into a place of pointing fingers about which wrong is worse.”
Isaac has since continued his career with the Magic. Earlier this summer, he founded UNITUS, a clothing brand that “champions faith, family, and freedom.”
Movieguide® previously reported:
NBA player Jonathan Isaac of the Orlando Magic shocked onlookers after he became the first and only player to stand during the national anthem in 2020.
While Isaac pointed to God and his faith as the motivation behind his solitary act in the NBA Bubble, while teammates and coaches knelt to support BLM, Isaac wrote a book to explain that his journey to courageous faith began long before his career in the NBA.
Isaac recently talked with actor Kirk Cameron on the TAKEAWAYS show about how God led him out of anxiety and fear and into a life of brave faith.
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