Jonathan Isaac Is the First NBA Player to Not Kneel for Anthem Since Restart

NBA's restart kicked off on Thursday and out of the first 3 games- Issac was the only player to stand during the national anthem

Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac was the only player standing during the national anthem in a game vs the Nets on Friday.

NBA's restart kicked off on Thursday and out of the first 3 games- Issac was the only player to stand during the national anthem and also the only player not wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt. Instead, the 22-year-old wore his Magic Jersey.

When asked about his decision Issac said, "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.

Issac also spoke about his faith during the press conference saying, "For me, Black lives are supported through the gospel, All lives are supported through the gospel.”

The DeVos family, who owns the Magic released a statement supporting the player's decision to protest before the game on Friday but did not allude to Issac's decision to stand.

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