Back in 2020, Jonathan Isaac refused to kneel during the National Anthem, as he felt the gesture went against his strong Christian values and beliefs. This decision was not congruent with LeBron James‘ support for the Black Lives Matter movement and his advocacy for social justice. Isaac wanted to go against the grain of some of the dominant narratives around social justice issues.
Keeping in line with his beliefs, the Orlando Magic star has now decided to launch his own apparel line. His line, unlike that of most retail brands, is “Anti-Woke”. He made the announcement via Twitter, where he revealed that his brand is called UNITUS, a company based on freedom.
Jonathan Isaac launches his anti-woke apparel brand
The Black Lives Matter movement came to the forefront in 2020, following the tragic incident with George Floyd. The world was outraged and protests against the injustice came in a variety of ways. The NBA and LeBron James showed where they stood with this matter soon after.
The players wore BLM t-shirts before every game. Their jerseys had social justice messages written where their names are usually written, and of course, every player knelt during the National Anthem at the start of every game. Every player, except one. Magic’s Jonathan Isaac refused to kneel, soon gaining notoriety for his decision.
He would reveal that kneeling for the anthem did not align with his Christian values and beliefs. Some said the he was Anti-Woke. Well, now, three years later, he has launched his own apparel brand, UNITUS. A brand that in many ways is Anti-Woke, and as he describes it, represents “freedom”.
“UNITUS is a sports and apparel company. And, the basis of it for me is freedom. You have companies in that field who have made a conscious decision to either attack or undermine Christian values. You know, Conservative values and things like that, and I think they have the free choice to do so, as much as I disagree. But, I feel that we also have a freedom to create what we want to create.”
Retail brands have the freedom to go woke. We have the freedom to create an alternative. UNITUS launches August 2023. Stay tuned #WeAreUnitus pic.twitter.com/2TIfkVc6Zt
— Jonathan Isaac (@JJudahIsaac) June 2, 2023
Based on clips from the video, it seems UNITUS will be selling a variety of clothing options. Hats, t-shirts, hoodies, even shoes. Safe to say, Jonathan has put a lot of effort into establishing the company.
Isaac received a lot of backlash for his decision to stand back in 2020
Jonathan Isaac’s decision to stand for the National Anthem came with a lot of backlash. For starters, his own perception of the media and the world around him changed drastically. He explained that while he did get support from those who stood with his beliefs, there was an overwhelming amount of criticism.
He revealed that no one even wanted to have a conversation with him regarding his decision. All he received was hate, whether on social media or in person.
It certainly is a situation that no one wishes to be put through. Following the incident, Isaac suffered a terrible injury that kept him out of action for more than two seasons. But, now he’s back and is looking forward to continuing his career as a professional NBA superstar.
