Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac, who famously stood for the national anthem while his other colleagues knelt before a game in the bubble in 2020, reportedly agreed to a contract extension on Tuesday.
Isaac and the Magic agreed to a five-year, $84 million contract extension, ESPN reported. It will keep the forward in Orlando through the 2028-29 season.
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Jonathan Isaac reportedly signed a five-year extension with the Orlando Magic. (David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
The 26-year-old New York native played in 58 games during the 2023-24 season – the most he has played in since the 2018-19 season. He averaged 6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. He earned votes for the NBA 6th Man of the Year Award.
However, Isaac caught the attention of the sports world when the NBA returned from the coronavirus pandemic and played games in a bubble atmosphere. Amid a summer of racial unrest, many players decided to take a knee during the national anthem to raise awareness about social injustice in the U.S. in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.
Isaac decided to stand for “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
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Jonathan Isaac, #1 of the Orlando Magic, stands during the national anthem prior to the game against the Brooklyn Nets on July 31, 2020 at The HP Field House at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. (Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
“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,” Isaac told OutKick contributor Riley Gaines on her “Gaines for Girls” podcast in October. Not even just in the bubble, but just around the world with the rise of the Black Lives Matter organization and movement.”
“For me, it was simply about offering another solution. I saw the issue. I saw the problem. I saw what happened to George Floyd. And as I listened to the tone and the rhetoric of the Black Lives Matter organization and movement, I never truly felt comfortable,” he added.
Isaac later tore his ACL in the bubble and missed the rest of the games. He spent the next two seasons on the bench recovering from the injury.
From left to right, Joe Ingles, Jonathan Isaac and Goga Bitadze listen to the national anthem prior to the start of game two of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on April 22, 2024 in Cleveland. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
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He played in only 11 games in the 2022-23 season before finally becoming healthy last year.
Fox News’ Joe Morgan contributed to this report.
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