NBA Star's Refusal To Kneel, Proclamation of Faith Spark Big Sales Surge
Orlando Magic forward and ordained Christian minister Jonathan Isaac made headlines last week when he became the first NBA player who refused to kneel during the playing of the national anthem since the season resumed.
In the days after Isaac made his stand, fans began buying the player’s jersey in droves.
As of Sunday, Isaac’s jersey had skyrocketed to the No. 2 spot on the official NBA Store website’s “top sellers” list, according to a screen shot posted to Twitter by the NBA news account Top Ball Coverage.
Sales for his jersey were behind only those of Los Angeles Lakers superstar Lebron James’ jersey.
Jonathan Isaac’s jersey sales have skyrocketed after he stood for the National Anthem.
He is now number two in jerseys sales among players only behind LeBron James. pic.twitter.com/1JLwEPtLG8
— Top Ball Coverage (@TopBallCoverage) August 2, 2020
After standing for the anthem, Isaac, who also stood out among his teammates Friday for his refusal to wear a “Black Lives Matter” shirt during “The Star-Spangled Banner,” spoke with reporters about what prompted his decision.
“Kneeling or wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt don’t go hand in hand with supporting black lives,” he 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 with supporting black lives.”
“My life has been supported through the gospel, Jesus Christ, everyone is made in the image of God and that we all fall short of God’s glory, and that each and every one of us each and every day do things that we shouldn’t do, we say things that we shouldn’t say, we hate and dislike people that we shouldn’t hate and dislike, and sometimes it gets to a point where we point fingers about whose evil is worse, and sometimes it comes down to simply whose evil is most visible.”
The professional athlete and ordained minister went on to explain how Jesus Christ offers grace for mistakes, and how racism is far from the only issue afflicting American society.
I asked Jonathan Isaac two questions:
You didn’t kneel during the anthem but you also didn’t wear a black lives matter shirt. Do you believe black lives matter?
Can you explain what religion has to do with kneeling for the anthem to protest against racism and police brutality? pic.twitter.com/me61FleWPY
— Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) July 31, 2020
“We all make mistakes, but I think that the gospel of Jesus Christ is that there’s grace for us, and that Jesus came and died for our sins, and that we all will come to an understanding of that, and understand that God wants to have a relationship with us, that we can get past skin color, we can can get past all the things in our world that are messed up, jacked up,” Isaac continued
“When you look around, racism isn’t the only thing that afflicts our society, that plagues our nation, that plagues our world. I feel like coming together on that message that we want to get past not only racism but everything that plagues us as a society,” he added.
“I feel like the answer to it is the gospel.”
Sadly, Isaac’s NBA season came to an end on Sunday, when he suffered a torn ACL in a game against the Sacramento Kings.
In a Monday Twitter post, Isaac thanked fans for the massive outpouring of support following his injury and shared how his faith in Jesus Christ would help in his recovery.
IT IS WELL!!! 2 Kings 4! Thank you for all of your prayers and concerns I’m encouraged. Remember our God is not just a God of the hills but a God of the valleys! (2 Corinthians ch 4 vs 9!) MY COMEBACK WILL BE GREATER THAN MY SETBACK!!!! I STILL STAND IN JESUS NAME!!!! pic.twitter.com/9Icv0WULQ6
— Jonathan Isaac (@JJudahIsaac) August 3, 2020
“IT IS WELL!!! 2 Kings 4! Thank you for all of your prayers and concerns I’m encouraged. Remember our God is not just a God of the hills but a God of the valleys! (2 Corinthians ch 4 vs 9!) MY COMEBACK WILL BE GREATER THAN MY SETBACK!!!! I STILL STAND IN JESUS NAME!!!!” Isaac wrote.
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