Isaac is keeping the faith
Well-grounded forward has his priorities as he navigates life in NBA
As much as Magic forward Jonathan Isaac tries to make sure he is always practicing his faith, basketball is always there to get in the way.
On this Easter Sunday, Isaac will once again find himself juggling his faith and his profession as the Magic face Toronto in Game 4 of their playoff series. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. at Amway Center.
“Oh yeah, absolutely it’s very, very difficult,” Isaac said of the NBA schedule and finding time to devote to his faith. “A lot of times the way I try my best to alleviate that is by watching online sermons on planes and when I have down time and stuff like that.
“… And chapel, which is very big for me. We have chapel in the NBA and that’s a great thing for every team to have that, so it’s like church away from church for me.”
When Isaac is asked how much his faith and his relationship with God plays into his basketball life, it’s somewhat of a perplexing question for him. Isaac doesn’t break it down that way. For him, his faith is always present.
“It’s hard for me to view my faith in any aspect of my life as far as it being a part of it because my faith in Jesus has become the best part of me, the part of me that I put before everything else,” Isaac said. “So when I’m asked that
question, like, ‘How does your faith play into things?’ it’s like, for me, ‘How does everything else play into my faith?’
“That’s the way I see it. Basketball is just something I do, and the way I play basketball is part of who I am and not the other way around.”
Isaac has always been very open and very public about his relationship with God. For him to be any other way, Isaac said, would not be true to who he is as an individual.
“I would have to lie to say it’s not. I’m just being authentic. It’s who I am,” he said.
While many fans would prefer athletes stay away from politics and religion so sports can remain a haven away from intense social debates, Isaac doesn’t see it as particularly difficult to speak about his faith.
“It’s great to be authentic and I know with Christianity — and just with religion in general — it’s a soft kindof-unspoken topic for a lot of people,” Isaac said. “But for me, it’s like everybody is who they are. … Every person can voice who they are and what they believe has gotten them to where they are at this very moment.
“For me, that’s just being honest with what that is. It’s Jesus and my faith and my relationship with God, and that’s what makes me who I am. I love to embrace who I am.”
Isaac’s introduction to religion started with his family’s involvement in the Canaan Land Christian Church where he grew up in the Bronx, N.Y.
“It started with my parents. There is a Bible verse that goes, ‘Train them up in the way that they should go and when they’re older they will not depart [paraphrased, Proverbs 22:6],” Isaac said. “I say they will depart a little bit. That’s what I did. I grew up in the faith and I’m sure like a lot of people, once you get on your own and into the world, it’s hard to keep those core values and really continue to believe. And once I got into the [NBA] it became something I wanted to do and something I believed for myself.
“It wasn’t a parental role or parental thing that kind of awakened me to the truth. Honestly, going into my rookie year last season, right around the time that I got hurt, I feel the truth about Jesus was revealed to me.”
Isaac leaned on that faith during his tumultuous rookie season during which an aggravated ankle injury caused him to miss all but 27 of the Magic’s 82 games. Each time it appeared he was ready to take the next step toward wellness and get back on the court, he’d have another setback.
Isaac said he never wavered in his belief he would eventually get better and play a significant role with the Magic.
This season he has missed just seven games and he has averaged 9.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest.
Earlier this season, he suffered another ankle injury that could have crushed his confidence.
Instead, he remained certain he would make a swift recovery.
“I believe that it’s God’s will and He knows more than I do, and whatever that may be, I’m OK with that,” Isaac said in November when he missed six consecutive games.
Isaac’s perseverance paid off.
He gave the Magic a boost with 14 points during their Game 3 matchup with the Raptors, thriving early in the first playoff game at Amway Center since 2012.
“Last night he was really good, I thought,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said of Isaac on Saturday.
“One thing about has him is, and you guys are going to see this as he gets older, he’s such a quick learner and he gets it. Whatever the concept is, team [or] individual, it doesn’t matter. He’s smart, he pays attention, it’s important to him and he picks things up very quickly.”
Veteran Magic center Nikola Vucevic said it has been Isaac’s ability to handle adversity that has helped him make the most of his second NBA season.
“The biggest thing for him this year is he just grew mentally to where he wouldn’t get too down on himself, wouldn’t be too harsh on himself. He just kept playing,” Vucevic said. “He’s so young, and he still has a lot of ways to improve and he will, but you see the improvement each game, each day from the beginning of the year to now, and he’s a much better player. So that’s what you want to see.”
Isaac’s unrelenting optimism and infectious smile during his long stretches on the sideline due to injuries last season rubbed some fans the wrong way.
Some questioned his commitment and work ethic since the first-round draft pick didn’t seem especially bothered by his plight, but he worked hard during the offseason and was a key contributor to the Magic’s push to reach the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons.
Even while going through concussion protocol during the final week of the regular season and waiting to see if he would be cleared to play the Raptors during the playoffs, Isaac stayed true to his conviction and was sure he’d get a chance to play in the most meaningful games of his professional career.
“I just give all the glory to Jesus, man,” Isaac said while reflecting on everything he’s been through during the past two seasons. “His grace has meant so much to me and I can’t say that enough.”