(Photo : Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac announced he would launch UNITUS in August as he is recovering from his game injury from the Magic-Hornets match.

Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac announced he would launch UNITUS in August as he is recovering from his game injury from the Magic-Hornets match.

NBA player Jonathan Isaac announced Friday he would launch an "anti-woke" clothing line which he called UNITUS. The line would be launched in August 2023 to support conservative values.

"Retail brands have the freedom to go woke," he wrote in a tweet. "We have the freedom to create an alternative."

The Orlando Magic forward became known in 2020 after he became the first NBA player to stand for the American national anthem without wearing a 'Black Lives Matter' warmup shirt before his team's match against the Brooklyn Nets. He explained ahead of the match he disagreed that "putting that shirt on and kneeling went hand-in-hand with supporting Black lives."

"We all have things that we do wrong and sometimes it gets to a place that we're pointing fingers at who's wrong is worst," he added.

Isaac: UNITUS Stands for Freedom

In an interview in conservative advocacy group Prager U's documentary "Unwoke Inc.," Isaac said UNITUS is a sports apparel company that puts freedom as its primary basis.

"You have companies that are in that field who have made a conscious decision to either attack or undermine Christian values, conservative values, and things like that," he said. "And I think they have the free choice to do so, as much as I disagree, but I feel that we also have the freedom to create what we want to create."

"Unwoke Inc." was presented by YouTuber Amala Ekpunobi and talks with leaders and entrepreneurs from different sectors about what wokeism means, its origins, and how it "infiltrated nearly every aspect" of Western culture.

"We can be proud of what we believe in," she told Isaac. "We don't have to hide or be ashamed of it."

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Isaac's Short-Lived Magic Comeback

Isaac's last game was on August 2, 2020, after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the league's restart while within the COVID-19 pandemic. He has since recovered from his injuries and has been playing since January 23, when his team defeated the Boston Celtics 113-98.

During the 2022-23 season, Isaac averaged 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 11.3 minutes across 11 games. However, his return to the hardcourt was cut short due to an injury in his inner thigh on March 3 during Orlando's winning game against the Charlotte Hornets. Regardless, Isaac would spend the rest of the summer recovering and retraining with the team in time for the 2023-24 season.

"I know what our team is capable of, just from watching," he said about the Magic's performance. "And then being integrated into it is like knowing I have something to offer to this team getting better."

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