Jonathan Isaac details decision to stand during national anthem in NBA’s Orlando 'bubble'

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Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac is preparing for the start of the 2023-24 NBA season, his seventh since being drafted sixth overall in the 2017 NBA Draft. 

His NBA career has been anything but easy. Isaac has dealt with a major knee injury, forcing him to sit out two seasons from 2020-2022. 

Jonathan Isaac of the Orlando Magic during a game against the Boston Celtics at Amway Center Jan. 23, 2023, in Orlando, Fla.  (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Isaac, now healthy, has also dealt with challenges away from the court, making headlines for his decision to stand during the national anthem in the NBA’s Orlando "bubble" and publicly defending his decision not to get a COVID-19 vaccine. 

Isaac detailed both decisions in a recent interview with former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines on the "Gaines for Girls" OutKick podcast. 

SAME FACE, NEW PLACE AS NBA SEASON KICKS OFF

"For me, that was kind of the highlight of my early career of being in the NBA, was 2020. It was after the tragic death of George Floyd, and we were ushered into the NBA ‘bubble,’ where there was just so much pressure. Not even just in the bubble, but just around the world with the rise of the Black Lives Matter organization and movement," Isaac told Gaines when discussing his decision to stand while his teammates kneeled during the anthem. 

The NBA bubble in Orlando opened in July 2020, just over a month after the death of Floyd. 

Most players from all teams in the bubble knelt during the national anthem. Isaac chose to stand and gained national attention for doing so. 

"For me, it was simply about offering another solution. I saw the issue. I saw the problem.