The NBA season officially resumed this week in the Orlando bubble. Black Lives Matter has been at the top of headlines around the NBA with players wearing BLM shirts during warm-ups and the national anthem. The courts in Orlando also have ‘Black Lives Matter‘ painted above the NBA logo. Orlando Magic Forward Jonathan Issac was trending on Friday when he was the first player to stand for the national anthem in the bubble. The former Arizona Wildcat also did not wear a BLM shirt while the national anthem was played.
When asked why he refused to kneel after Friday’s game, Jonathan Issac said “I don’t think that kneeling or putting on a T-shirt for me, personally, is the answer. For me, Black lives are supported through the gospel, all lives are supported through the gospel.” It’s also been discovered that Issac follows President Trump on Twitter as well as a few notable conservatives such as Ben Shapiro and Mike Cernovich.
For many in the media, Jonathan Issac had gone too far. Immediately at his post-game press conference, he was attacked for not supporting the cause. He was even asked how religion was an excuse to not kneel against “racism”.
Things have quickly changed since Colin Kaepernick’s protests in 2016. Kaepernick was one of a few professional athletes kneeling during the national anthem. A clear majority of the country was against his actions. But, it appears that now kneeling is the new normal. Who knows, by the time fans return to games the announcers may say, “please remove your hats and take a knee for our national anthem”.
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