LA Clippers star Paul George commented on Jonathan Isaac's decision to stand for the national anthem.
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00:00Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac made headlines on Friday
00:03that he was the first NBA player to stand at the playing of the National Anthem rather than kneel.
00:08Like the rest of his teammates and coaches, Isaac did not wear a Black Lives Matter shirt either.
00:12A 22-year-old explained his decision after the game, telling ESPN that while he does believe Black Lives Matter,
00:17he didn't feel like kneeling was the answer for him, saying,
00:20quote,
00:30Standing on the standside, I do believe Black Lives Matter,
00:33but I just felt like it was a decision I had to make,
00:35and I didn't feel like putting that shirt around my hand when I was supporting Black Lives.
00:38Following the LA Clippers' 126-103 win over the New Orleans Falcons Saturday night,
00:42star forward Paul George defended Isaac's decision during a post-game interview, saying, quote,
00:47I applaud Jonathan Isaac for his stance and his beliefs.
00:50He's not wrong.
00:51Nobody's wrong.
00:52What's so great about it is that it has a voice in the situation.
00:54It's just beautiful.
00:55We come together, trying to do the right things to make this world better.
00:58Part of the conversation involved when we started the NBA season
01:01was aligning players, coaches, and team staff to demonstrate and speak on social issues
01:05as the sport would not distract from what is currently happening in the United States.
01:08The league has made significant changes to get to this larger platform,
01:11including painting Black Lives Matter on each of the court seats in the restart,
01:14and allowing players to wear specific social justice statements in their uniforms.
01:17Ultimately, though, it does come down to each person to decide if and how they want to take a stand.