The NBA and its players have a reputation for getting involved in the events and politics that headline the nation. Even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the story, for a while, became the Black Lives Matter protests after the death of George Floyd sparked worldwide outrage.
When the NBA’s plans to restart in Orlando were revealed, people knew the movement would somehow make its way into basketball — and they were right.
In the first few opening nights, almost every player did something — whether it was taking a knee during the anthem or wearing a BLM t-shirt. That is, everyone except Orlando’s Jonathan Isaac. Out of all the players taking part in the Orlando festivities, Isaac is the only one choosing not to protest in any form. He was standing during the anthem and did not wear the BLM t-shirt.
He explained his decision and many came to his defense (including famous TNT analyst Charles Barkley), but not everyone has been so understanding.
On Twitter, fans are noticing a subtle shot to Isaac taken by Raptors star Pascal Siakam.
The Tweet seems to be grouping Isaac with an “anti-black” crowd, but that might not be fair to him. In his statement, Isaac said he supports and stands with people of all colors and that the reason he was choosing not to kneel had more to do with believing it was not the answer rather than believing there was no problem at all.
Isaac shouldn’t be flamed for his views — everyone is entitled to their own, after all.
But that fact won’t stop people who disagree (like Siakam) from rpasting him. Twitter can be a pretty ruthless place.
