Magic forward Jonathan Isaac explains why he didn't kneel or wear Black Lives Matter shirt during anthem
Chris Cwik
July 31, 2020, 3:19 PM
Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac chose not to join his teammates in protest Friday. While the rest of the Magic got down on one knee during the national anthem, Isaac chose to stand.
Isaac, 22, was the only player to do so. Isaac was also the lone player on the court who didn’t wear a Black Lives Matter shirt. Instead, he wore his Magic jersey and warmup pants during the anthem.
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Jonathan Isaac is the first player during the restart to stand for the National Anthem.
All the remaining coaches, players, and members of both teams took a knee.

With the move, Isaac becomes the first NBA player to stand during the national anthem since the restart. During Thursday’s game, every coach and player on the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz took a knee in protest of racial injustice and police brutality in the United States. Following Thursday’s game, LeBron James said he hopes NBA players made former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick proud.
Why did Jonathan Isaac stand during the national anthem?
Isaac spoke about his decision after the game, saying he believes Black Lives Matter, but that kneeling and wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt doesn’t “go hand in hand†with supporting Black lives.
Isaac began his answer by stating:
“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.â€
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https://sports.yahoo.com/magic-forward-jonathan-isaac-only-player-to-stand-not-wear-black-lives-matter-shirt-during-national-anthem-201946916.html