Let’s hear it for all of those Orlando Magic players on Friday and every other player from every other NBA team for choosing to exercise their constitutional right to take a knee during the national anthem.
And let’s hear it, too, for Jonathan Isaac for exercising his constitutional right to NOT take a knee during the national anthem.
God bless you all.
Each and every one of you deserves our respect and understanding for choosing to peacefully protest during the national anthem or, in Isaac’s case, for choosing to peacefully not protest during the national anthem.
We all have a right to choose.
It’s the American way.
Isaac, the former Florida State star who is arguably the Magic’s most likable, spiritual and charitable player, shocked the league Friday when he not only became the first and only player in the NBA bubble to stand for the national anthem, he also became the first and only player to not wear a “Black Lives Matter” T-shirt during the playing of the anthem. Isaac, playing his first game since a left knee injury on Jan. 1, stood with his arms behind his back while wearing his Magic jersey.
After the Magic’s resounding 128-118 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in their first game in nearly five months, Isaac was asked repeatedly by the local and national media why he made the decision. He stressed it had nothing to do with the flag or patriotism or the military or any of the other hot-button reasons the anti-Colin Kaepernick crowd always recites. Isaac, a recently ordained Christian minister, said it all came down to his faith.
He simply doesn’t believe that taking a knee and wearing a T-shirt go “hand in hand with supporting Black lives.” He believes that “the true support of all lives is the repenting of the sins we all commit and trusting in God’s grace and love shown in the death of Jesus for each and every person.”
“Absolutely, I believe Black lives matter,” Isaac said. “I don’t think kneeling and putting on a T-Shirt for me, personally, is the answer. … I feel the answer to all of the problems and all the things that go on in our lives is Jesus. … Black lives are supported in the Gospel and all lives are supported in the Gospel.”
Isaac’s Christian version of the taboo phrase “all lives matter” is obviously going to receive a ton of social-media backlash in today’s cancel-culture climate. Personally, I admire Isaac’s conviction and his courage for making a decision that he knew would be unpopular.
He talked with his Magic teammates and coaches before he made the decision and he said they all supported him. Said Magic coach Steve Clifford, who knelt with the team on Friday: “That was Jonathan’s personal decision. If guys are not comfortable kneeling and they want to stand, nobody has a problem with that. That’s part of living in our country.”
Amen, Coach.
Said Isaac: “My teammates know who I am and what I believe as a person and they respected me for the decision. For me, personally it’s not coming from a position of wanting to be popular or wanting to be seen; it all came down to what’s in my heart. I stake my flag with Jesus.”
The controversy over Isaac’s decision just goes to show how the world has been turned upside down in the past few weeks. It wasn’t so long ago that Kaepernick became an outcast for kneeling during the national anthem and now Jonathan Isaac actually has to explain himself because he is standing for the national anthem.
Isaac shouldn’t have to apologize just as Kaepernick and his fellow kneelers should not have to apologize. Not everybody believes in the same thing, and that’s OK. But, of course, in today’s polarized environment where the politicians, the president and the clanging cymbals on the cable news networks have somehow managed to even politicize a pandemic, we simply can’t respectfully agree to disagree anymore.
I wrote a column after the first game of the NBA’s restart on Thursday praising the NBA and commissioner Adam Silver for waiving the long-standing rule requiring players to stand for the national anthem. I thought it was a powerful moment of solidarity on Thursday night when players and coaches from both teams and even the referees took a knee in the tumultuous aftermath of the killing of George Floyd.
It’s baffling to me why some people insist that those who kneel for the national anthem are somehow un-American and are disrespecting the flag or degrading the military. It’s not like the protesters are burning or stomping on Old Glory. It’s not like they are criticizing those who fight for our country. They are simply peacefully protesting and sending the message, “We love our country, but our country needs to be better at eradicating racial injustice.”
I happen to agree with former Magic and current Lakers head coach Frank Vogel, who knelt in unison with his players Thursday night.
“Peaceful protest is patriotic,” Vogel said.
Let us not forget, this country was founded by not-so-peaceful protesters. Our forefathers were considered traitorous because they had the audacity to protest the way England treated the American colonists. If there had been sporting events back in 1774, you better believe George Washington and Thomas Jefferson would have been kneeling during the playing of “God Save The Queen.”
Likewise, I also admire Isaac for the stance he is taking. As Charles Barkley so eloquently said on Thursday night, it’s important to give players freedom to react however they preferred to the anthem.
“The national anthem means different things to different people,” Barkley said during the TNT broadcast. “I’m glad these guys are unified. If people don’t kneel, they’re not a bad person. I want to make that perfectly clear. I’m glad they had unity, but if we have a guy who doesn’t want to kneel because the anthem means something to him, he should not be vilified.”
Jonathan Isaac certainly shouldn’t be vilified. He has nothing to apologize for, and doesn’t have to kneel to show he cares about human kind. This guy is the real deal. He won the Magic’s community service award last year and is renowned around town for accommodating most every charitable cause that seeks him out. He and his local church, J.U.M.P Ministries, have been active in feeding underprivileged children weekly during the coronavirus pandemic.
He helps raise money and awareness to fight for literacy in Central Florida. He spearheaded a relief effort when Hurricane Dorian ravaged the Bahamas. He took kids from the Valencia Horizon Scholars program on a tour of the Bronze Kingdom African Art Gallery, where they learned about African American history.
Some players prefer taking a knee.
Jonathan Isaac prefers lending a hand.
“We all sin and the answers to all of the world’s problems, not just racism, is the true Gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said.
More power to Jonathan Isaac for his decision not to protest.
More power to all of the other players for their decision to take a knee.
Whether you’re kneeling down for what you believe or standing up for what you believe, we all have the unalienable right to choose.
This column first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on Twitter @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9 a.m. on FM 96.9 and AM 740.
