The NBA’s nonconformist

Jonathan Isaac knows some things about not conforming to this world.

The reserve forward for the National Basketball Association’s Orlando Magic drew headlines for doing just that during the COVID-truncated 2019–20 season: To protest the death of African American George Floyd, which happened while Minneapolis police were arresting him and sparked a summer of racial tensions, nearly all players at the NBA’s season-ending “bubble” in Orlando wore “Black Lives Matter” T-shirts and knelt during the playing of the national anthem.

Despite strong pressure to do the same, Isaac remained standing. He also refused to don a BLM shirt because he felt the movement didn’t align with his Christian values.

“I learned that it’s a lonely road, man,” Isaac told me earlier this season after scoring 9 points in a road win over the Portland Trail Blazers. “It’s difficult, but the bigger point is to have it settled in your own heart as to what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and how you’re going about it.”

While Isaac drew flak for his stance at the time, it earned him greater respect in conservative circles.

Isaac learned to stand alone early in his NBA career: The 28-year-old remembers being asked to pick up condoms for teammates while on road trips as part of the hazing every NBA rookie endures. Initially, he had no problem doing so.

After recommitting his life to Christ, however, Isaac felt convicted about helping teammates pursue sex outside marriage.

At first, his decision to boldly stand for Christ didn’t sit well with his teammates: “Guys were weirded out a little about this new Jonathan,” Isaac recalls in his testimony on the conservative website PragerU.com. “I picked up the nickname ‘Baby Jesus’ pretty early on.”

But over time, Isaac’s integrity won over his teammates.

“I definitely think it has grown into something where they respect the decisions that I’ve made and respect the man that I’ve become,” Isaac said.

Isaac has also found other ways to publicly express his faith. In 2022 the Bronx, N.Y., native published the book Why I Stand, and in 2023 he launched Unitus, a Christian-themed athletic apparel line. A personally autographed pair of his Unitus shoes is on display at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., as part of an exhibit showcasing biblical influences on various facets of life, including fashion.

The signed sneakers feature a reference to Proverbs 28:1, which declares that “the righteous are bold as a lion,” as well as a lion’s head and mane. Isaac sees the reference on his shoes every time he looks down while dribbling at the foul line before shooting a free throw.

“My middle name is Judah,” Isaac told me. “It’s my life verse, and Jesus is the Lion of Judah. … It reminds me to be courageous.”

Isaac has also faced physical adversity during his NBA career: A first-round pick out of Florida State University in the 2017 draft, the 6-foot-10 Isaac missed all of two seasons and most of a third due to various knee and leg injuries and a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Those injuries wiped out the seasons immediately following Isaac’s stance during the anthem.

Isaac says God used the period when he was sidelined to refine him.

“Once basketball was taken away from me, it helped me ground my identity in Christ,” Isaac said. “He was shaping my purpose, which is to encourage others.”