Magic’s Jonathan Isaac becomes the first NBA player to stand for the anthem since league re-opened

Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac stood for the national anthem before Friday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets, becoming the first NBA player to do so rather than kneel in protest of racism since the league’s season restarted at Disney World on Thursday night.

Isaac, a 22-year-old African American, has not had the chance to explain his reasoning yet as the Nets-Magic game is currently ongoing.

Not only did Isaac stand for the anthem, but he declined to wear a Black Lives Matter warmup t-shirt as all the other players did during the pre-game demonstration.

As was the case before Thursday’s games, players, coaches, and referees all took a knee and locked arms before Friday’s Magic-Nets game with the obvious exception of Isaac.

The DeVos family, which owns the Magic, released a statement in support of the protest during Friday’s game.

‘The DeVos Family and the Orlando Magic organization fully supports Magic players who have chosen to leverage their professional platform to send a peaceful and powerful message condemning bigotry, racial injustice and the unwarranted use of violence by police, especially against people of color,’ read the statement. 

‘We are proud of the positive impact our players have made and join with them in the belief that sports can bring people together — bridging divides and promoting inclusion, equality, diversity and unity.’

The DeVos family includes US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, who is married to Richard DeVos Jr. — the son and namesake of the Amway co-founder.

Every person present at HP Fieldhouse on the ESPN Wide World of Sports campus near Orlando knelt during the national anthem before the first game of the NBA’s restarted season on Thursday night.

All players, coaches and staff members of the New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz, along with all officials, wore shirts reading ‘BLACK LIVES MATTER,’ which was also printed on the court. Many locked arms with those next to them, while some players raised fists in the air.

The players and coaches on the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers also knelt prior to Thursday night’s later game at The Arena on the Wide World of Sports campus.

The anthem before the Jazz-Pelicans game was performed virtually by Louisiana native Jon Batiste, who played a rendition with a mix of piano and guitar.

Before the anthem, the TNT broadcast aired an introductory segment narrated by rapper Meek Mill, promoting social justice initiatives and the BLM movement, followed by a segment with several NBA players speaking on the subject.

Players displayed a variety of social justice messages on the backs of their jerseys, including ‘Black Lives Matter,’ ‘Say Their Names’ and ‘I Can’t Breathe.’

The game was the first in four-plus months since the regular season was suspended in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Again at the Lakers-Clippers game, various players had social justice messages on the backs of their uniforms. Lakers star LeBron James passed on the option and went with his last name.

The Compton Kidz Club sang the national anthem through a video feed before the Clippers faced the Lakers.