LA Clippers star Paul George commented on Jonathan Isaac's decision to stand for the national anthem.
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00:00 Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac made headlines on Friday
00:03 being the first NBA player to stand for the playing of the national anthem rather than kneel.
00:07 Like the rest of his teammates and coaches, Isaac did not wear a Black Lives Matter shirt either.
00:12 22-year-old explained his decision after the game telling ESPN that while he does believe Black Lives Matter,
00:17 he didn't feel like kneeling was the answer for him saying,
00:20 "A lot went into my decision and part of it is my thought that no one wearing a Black Lives Matter t-shirt
00:25 doesn't go in hand with supporting Black Lives.
00:27 And so I felt like just me personally and what it is I believe in,
00:30 standing on the stance that I do believe Black Lives Matter,
00:32 but I just felt like it was a decision I had to make and I didn't feel like playing that shirt around my hand and
00:37 it was supporting Black Lives."
00:38 Following the LA Clippers 126-103 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night,
00:42 star forward Paul George defended Isaac's decision during a postgame interview saying,
00:47 "I applaud Jonathan Isaac for his stance and his beliefs. He's not wrong. Nobody's wrong.
00:51 What's so great about it is everyone has a voice in the situation.
00:54 It's just beautiful to come together, trying to do the right things to make this world better."
00:57 Part of the conversation involved when we started the NBA season was aligning players, coaches, and team staff to demonstrate and speak on social issues
01:05 as the sport would not distract from what is currently happening in the United States.
01:08 The league has made significant changes to get to this larger platform,
01:11 including pinning Black Lives Matter on each of the courts, easing the restart,
01:14 and allowing players to wear specific social justice statements in the back of uniforms.
01:17 Ultimately though, it does come down to each person to decide if and how they want to take a stand.
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