After a 4-month layoff, the 2020 NBA season started off last night with a bang as the Utah Jazz outlasted the New Orleans Pelicans 106-104 in the opening game.Then in the nightcap, the Los Angeles Lakers outlasted the Los Angeles Clippers 103-101 in a back & forth thrilling contest that nearly went into overtime.
As expected, both games started with both teams kneeling during the National Anthem paying tribute to solidarity and against police brutality.
Friday’s schedule features six games including exciting match-ups with Grizzlies-Blazers (4 pm ET), Celtics-Bucks (6:30 pm) and Rockets-Mavericks (9:00 pm)Other games include Nets-Magic (2:30 pm), Suns-Wizards (4 pm) and Spurs-Kings (8 pm).
The first game of Friday’s restart opener saw the Orlando Magic outscore the Brooklyn Nets 128-118. However, the beginning of their game didn’t start out the same, as one player stood during the National Anthem. Magic’s Forward Johnathan Isaac, one of the most outspoken Christians in the NBA, did not kneel for the National Anthem nor did he wear a Black Lives Matter T-shirt while the rest of his teammates and opponents on the Nets did before the start of their game.
Issac said he informed his teammates of this decision before the game and they supported him, but he understood people watching would have questions. “I do believe that Black Lives Matter. A lot went into my decision and part of that is my thought kneeling or wearing a Black Lives Matter t-shirt don’t go hand-in-hand with supporting black lives,” Isaac said. “I believe my life is supported through the gospel, Jesus Christ, and everyone is made in the image of God and that we fall short of God’s glory. And, that each and every one of us and every day do things we shouldn’t do and say things we shouldn’t (say)-hate and dislike people we shouldn’t hate and dislike.
Sometimes it gets to point where we point fingers about whose evil is worse and sometimes it comes to a point where we point fingers about whose evil is worse and sometimes comes outs as whose evil is most visible.
When you look around, racism isn’t the only thing that plagues our nation, that plagues our world. We want to get past not only racism but everything that plagues our society. I feel like the answer to it is the gospel.” Isaac also stressed that his decision to stand was not related to patriotism. Issac also stressed that his decision to stand was not related to patriotism.
During a the year of a pandemic and COVID-19 we’ve seen the world feud in political debates and now not only are we seeing it in professional sports,athletes are “standing up” for themselves in support of their religious beliefs too.
Photo by LOGAN WEAVER on Unsplash
