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“You Cannot Stand For God and God Not Stand For You” — With Jonathan Isaac

The Charlie Kirk Show / Charlie Kirk
The Truth Network Radio
January 3, 2024 5:00 am

“You Cannot Stand For God and God Not Stand For You” — With Jonathan Isaac

The Charlie Kirk Show / Charlie Kirk

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January 3, 2024 5:00 am

Every voice in the world encourages NBA players to kneel for the anthem and stand up for some of the worst causes imaginable. But in the face of overwhelming pressure, Jonathan Isaac has chosen to be different. In the midst of a busy NBA season, Isaac sat down with Charlie at America Fest to explain his faith journey and his brave decision to stand up for God and his beliefs against the weight of a hostile world.

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Go to noblegoldinvestments.com. Jonathan Isaac, welcome, man. Thank you for having me, Charlie. You are in the middle of an NBA season right now. This is not an off season. You're like in season right now. And you made time to be here with us.

First of all, thank you. Yeah. And how did that work logistically?

I'm just kind of curious. Well, it worked out perfectly because today's an off day for our team. But definitely it was tough getting in here. We flew out really early this morning. And we'll fly out really late tonight. Yeah. So you have an off day, you play for the Orlando Magic.

You're flying all the way back to Florida? Yes. Wow. Okay.

Well, this is obviously a priority for you. So thank you. And I think one of the reasons, you know, we're so thrilled to have you is, and we talked about this on the show previously. And I want to kind of just remind our audience and you wrote a great book about it.

During all the BLM stuff in the bubble, you were the only person not to kneel during the national anthem. That's really powerful, man. Just walk us through that story again.

It's great. Yeah. So it started obviously with, you know, with the George Floyd situation and everything that happened. And then you had this, you know, just meteoric rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and organization. And at the time when it first happened, I saw the video and, you know, my first reaction was anger. And I thought to myself, what was the way to think about this or to see this in the right light? And I started to think about it. And then, you know, riots started to cap off. Everything started to happen. And I remember I was in church.

This is my pastor here, my wife here. And my pastor was preaching a sermon. And it was about Jesus being captured by the Roman guard at the height of the, you know, height of the BLM riots.

And Peter lunges forward and cuts off the guy's ear. And Jesus says, if you live by the sword, you'll die by the sword. And one of the things that my pastor said was, if we continue to act in the same way that we've acted in the past in terms of white and black relations, then we'll get the same result. And so if we could step into this moment with love, there could be a real change and we could lead that change.

And so, you know, I had it in my head, okay, if there was an opportunity to speak, that's what I would lead with. And so we get to the bubble and our team is playing and we're set to play the next day. And the team, a team before us knelt the day before they knelt for the national anthem.

And so it created this big craze and buzz in the bubble. And my team put on this team meeting and we had the team officials and everybody there, and it turned into a players only meeting. And they just said, hey, you guys decide what you want to do and turn into a players only meeting. And the team was just like, hey, we don't have a choice. You know, this is, this is what we're going to do. Everybody's going to kneel and we'll just get, get this over with. And one of my teammates turned towards me and says, well, what are you going to do Jonathan? And I said, fellas, I'm not going to kneel and I'm not going to wear the t-shirt.

Wow. And that, that broke out chaos. And, and, and, you know, we had some exchange of words and a rowdy conversation and it led to the next day. I was on the phone with my pastor that night and I was telling him like, you know, I don't think you understand what this is going to be. You know, I'm going to be a, I'm going to be a sellout.

I'm going to be, you know, all the names in the book, who and all that stuff. And he said to me, you cannot stand for God and God not stand for you. And that was, that, that, that was the moment that the next, the next morning I stood. And you wrote all about it, why I stand and did you ever, was there, walk us through 10 minutes before, because I would imagine the way that basketball warmups work. I played high school basketball, not quite national basketball association, but you know, like 10 minutes on the clock, maybe I'm wrong, but you're kind of like, boy, I'm 10 minutes out from the national anthem.

It's probably the most thought about national anthem in the history of your career, right? I was terrified. I was legitimately terrified. I'm going through the warmups. I'm the only player without a t-shirt on. And so I just have my jersey on.

The other team is looking at me, the rest are looking at me like, what's going on? Like something's done, something's happening here. And I just remember just thinking in my mind and even leading up to standing in the line, just praying under my breath, just saying like, God, you know, let this truly be about you. And I know I'm afraid.

I know I'm terrified, but you got me and kept reciting also my pastor said that, you know, I can't stand for God and God not stand for me. And it just, it just happened. It was, it was, it felt like it took forever. But then once it was over, it was just like, okay, like, you know, we're playing basketball now and we played a great game and won. And then as soon as the game was over with, I, you know, I got the media and everything. I was like, oh snap, that actually happened.

It's real now. So I kind of forgot about it. So it was a lagging effect, right? Because there were no fans, the media is all up, whatever, you know, everyone's distanced, right?

Cause during COVID. So you play the game and then no one wants to talk about the game, right? They want to talk about why on earth were you not doing the thing. And so five minutes left on the clock before the national anthem, three minutes, was there a time where you second guessed? Were you almost double clutched? No, from, from the night before I knew what I was going to do. But definitely the, the, the angst and the nerves were there all the way throughout. You were more nervous about the national anthem than the game fair? Yes.

But that that's you think about it, right? I mean, instead of playing a millions of people, what you were going to do was going to send a culture. How did your teammates then react to you in the days and weeks that, that followed? So I wrote about this in the book. We had we had an impromptu players only meeting.

I got called. And so and, and, and for me, I, I understood how sensitive the time was like, you know, I wasn't trying, I was trying my best to go about it humbly and to just speak what I feel and not, no, not trying to force anything on anybody. So I understood my teammates' frustration.

One, because there were a couple of guys that were very involved in the movement, like going to the protest, going to the marches, everything like that. And so we had practice the next day after the game and we're headed back to the hotel and I get a text to my phone players only meeting when we get back and I'm getting off the bus and one of my teammates nudges me, Hey, just a heads up. This meeting is about you.

And so you didn't know before I didn't know before. So we get into the meeting and it's what you would expect. You know, guys are livid. You know, one of my teammates are like, yo, like, I'm, I'm not, I'm going to stay in the locker room. Like I'm not kneeling next to you standing. And, and it turned into like, I'm not protesting you guys. Like, I'm not like my, my, my decision and standing has nothing to do with, you know, going against what you guys are doing. And, you know, I had some teammates that were like, yo, we know Jonathan, like, we know this is who he is.

We know this is what he believes, like, just let it ride. And so, you know, after a lot of time they were asking like, look, are you going to stand again? That was, that was the ending question of the, the, the, the meeting. And I said, yes. And, and they were just like, okay, well, everybody just do what you want to do.

It is what it is. And I remember talking to my pastor again after that meeting and he said to me, this is a rolling theme, but he said to me, you respected their decision to kneel and they should respect your decision to stand in return. And we were able to leave. So in that struggle session, were there any teammates that stood up for you or that you, or is it just kind of one on 15? Yeah, no, there were a few in terms of, you know, they, they, they, they knew my character, you know, throughout the year in terms of, you know, they had enough respect to be like, okay, we know that Jonathan isn't in this to be malicious. He's just trying to be who he is. And they knew me to be no Christian on the team. And so there were a few guys that were like, you know, this is a little overboard and, you know, we should just let him be who he is and we'll be who we are. And so, you know, So let's talk about your faith. You have a beautiful shirt on, it says Judah and the faith, your faith is obviously super important to you and instructs every decision that you make. And, you know, being in the national basketball association, I can imagine it is, I don't want to say difficult, but it's unusual to be a dedicated Christian. Difficult.

Okay. Why tell me why it's difficult? Well, it's just, it's just the world we live in at the end of the day, you know, at all, at all points being, you know, having access to excess is the way I like to, is the way I like to describe it.

It is difficult. And for me, I know that I wouldn't be one sitting next to you or, you know, in the position that I am today, if it wasn't for the people around me and not just me, if it was, if it was just me on my own. Um, you know, who are those people, your pastor, right? Your wife, my wife, um, my, my personal family, my, you know, my mom, my, my brothers and sisters, but also my church family as well. Um, that continued to pray for me and cover me and, and, you know, work my tables when I, when I, when I, uh, come to these different things, they're doing a great job by the way they do.

So, um, I got a lot of great people around me that, you know, keep me encouraged and, you know, keep me on the right path. Are you tired of progressive companies and exhausted at trying to keep up with all the virtue signaling when you're simply just trying to buy products? Progressive corporate America continues to push messaging that further alienates conservative Americans, all while eroding the future of the American dream. It's prominent all over the country.

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That's PublicSQ.MOBI forward slash Charlie Kirk. Check it out today. So, yeah, I mean, I love that you have access in the NBA, right? Everywhere you turn, it's there's a lot of attention, right? There's a lot of temptation. How how do you navigate? What do you have to share to the audience of how you navigate that?

Because it's almost every single day, the flesh or the the institution of the NBA is almost at odds with how you know you're supposed to live as a Christian. Yeah, I just, you know, trying your best to keep your head down as much as you can. You know, I don't necessarily participate in a lot of, you know, extracurricular activities in terms of, you know, if we're going to a city or anything like that. So I just I just, you know, try my best to lay low.

And and again, you know, keeping the right people. Well, this is important, though, because some people say, but let's just take one of our college kids, but I can't coexist on a team. If I don't do the extracurricular, I know you're being nice, extracurricular activities. How do you do that? How do you be a great teammate?

Excel at an elite level, you're averaging like almost 10 points a game right now. And then also stay true to yourself. I would imagine is you have to win the respect of the people around you. Is that right?

Right. And they see it. And so I think respect is a lot of times, especially with my teammates and stuff, they know me for some of the stuff that I won't do.

And they have respect for me in that regard. Or I'll tell you a quick story. I like to tell this story because I think it just exemplifies what we're talking about.

But we were I was at a teammate's house and we were playing a game. And the game was, you know, you pick a card and the card may say, who this, who that? And you had to pick each person in the room. And the card rose, who has the best life? Who has the best life? And everybody went quiet. And one of my teammates goes, you know what? I think Jonathan has the best life.

And there wasn't a contest. And so things like that, they know me by who I am. I'm the guy that'll check on you when you're injured. I'm the guy that'll try to come over to your place even though you probably don't want me to when you're injured or something like that. And so I try my best to be there for them and to just be who I am, you know, in ups and downs and try and try to be consistent.

And I think it does, it has grown to respect level. One of my favorite verses is Romans 12 to do not conform to the way of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. You're definitely not conforming despite being in, you know, the institution. Talk about how Christ has been working on you since you got into the NBA. Oh, man. Every day in more ways than one. I'm so far from perfect. And again, I've been hit with so many things from injuries, setbacks, things that you're believing God for and you have these setbacks. And it's difficult times when I want to run away and just continue not to stay on the right path even. And again, I got to give all credit to the people around me that'll hit you over the head and help you to stay right and are strong for you when you're not strong. And so it has been a continued battle. We're just walking in God's purpose. And as I've continued to, I've been able to see that it gets bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and on a bigger stage than the next time I turn around. And so I'm just trying my best to stay faithful.

What story or verse in the last year, year and a half has really moved you or popped out to you? I think it's Job. I think it's Job. Are you living a Job life right now? I think, well, I think I'm on the, in Jesus name, I'm on the latter side. Okay. So you're on the back end of Job.

The back end of Job. Well, that's good. The beginning is kind of brutal.

But yeah, like I said, I've been through my fair share of injuries and setbacks and things like that. And just that verse from Job saying, shall we accept good from God and not bad. And just the reflection of who God is.

I've learned so much about God, not just being a God of the hills, but a God of the valleys as well and getting to know Him in that space. And so, yeah, I'd say Job. Yeah. Job is the oldest book in the Bible. It was written even before the Torah. Really?

Yeah. It was the first book ever written. And it's probably one of the most difficult.

I think it would be if some people wish it wasn't there because it basically says that your suffering has meaning. And it's a very, very, very, very, it's infinitely challenging. So you, you know, we as Christians are always trying to grow and trying to develop in the faith, including bringing other people to the Lord. How do you mix evangelism in what you do? Yeah, in terms of being a basketball player? Both your teammates, but also obviously you do a beautiful job to the millions of people that follow you.

I would say on the outside of what's not basketball, it's just, you know, try my best to use my platform. And so the book for me is such an amazing tool. One, because you know, most people see it as this, you know, this courageous moment of standing, but it really is so much more than that. It really is a story of God ordering the footsteps of this young man who struggled in so many different ways from anxiety, self insecurity, and using the people in his life to mold him into a man and, you know, a better version. And so it speaks to the transformation power of relationship in Christ. And so I, you know, use my platform, use the book, use, you know, speaking engagements and stuff to evangelize.

And I think when it comes to basketball, it's just, just probably my best to be a light and, you know, loving guys where they're at and letting them know that you're there for them, no matter what. And when that moment does come of, you know, life getting the better of them, which gets the better of all of us, they'll know who and when to turn. Do your gift of preborn will give a girl the truth about what's happening in her body so that she can make the right choice. What better way to start this new year than to join us saving babies and $28 a month. We'll save a baby a month all year long, a $15,000 gift.

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Click on the preborn banner. You mentioned this on our conversation last time, but I think it bears repeating. You were privately on anxiety medication when you were at Florida State University. Is that right?

Yeah. I was the number one player in the state of Florida. I was struggling. From the time I was a kid, my parents split up when I was 10. I went from a predominantly black community to a white community from Bronx, New York to Naples, Florida. Oh yeah. Collier County.

Collier County. And I struggled. I struggled with making friends and fitting in. And basketball was the thing that kind of opened those doors. Did you go to IMG?

I did. I went to IMG for my fifth year of high school. And so basketball started to get me everything that I thought I wanted, but it came with this anxiety of if I played really well, everybody loved me.

And if I didn't, I would lose everything that I thought I had gained. So your purpose was anchored into basketball. My identity was. Your identity.

Yeah. And so getting to Florida State, it just heightened the odds. So now I'm a big man on campus. Everybody's like, yo, you're going to be the guy that's going to lead us to the national championship and tournament and all that stuff. And I was so up and down all the time of, oh, really good game. Next game's going to be bad.

I'm going to mess up. And so it got to a point where I was having anxiety attacks and pass out episodes to where I had to go on some anxiety medication just to practice and play. But again, it was unbeknownst to my family, unbeknownst. How did you overcome that? Towards the end of the season, it got pretty apparent that I was going to be an NBA player.

And so some of that anxiety started to tail off. Did you play one year in college? I played one year in college.

Okay. Then I got drafted. But in terms of it being the large scale movement of overcoming it, and it's still a process even today. I think it's a process for all of us. But I talk about my pastor again, having somebody to speak into my life to teach me about one, speaking back to the lives of the enemy and the unconditional true love of God. So when I talk about playing for the love of people, learning about the love of God that loves us in spite of making a shot, in spite of missing a shot, something that I'm still continuing to learn to deserve. But yeah, the learning about the true love of God that is for us, he knows that the hairs on our head, all the things like that. And then transferring my identity from basketball to my identity in Christ has been the agent that has gotten to where I am. It was the agent that allowed me to be bold enough to stand. Talk about what you mentioned there, rejecting the lies of the enemy, because I'm sure the enemy comes after you, comes after all of us. Yeah, absolutely. Take standing in the boat or take COVID even for that matter, just the lies of, you're going to lose your career, or if you do this, this thing is going to happen.

You're going to get hurt again, all these different things, or you're no good, you're worthless. All these different things are things that I had to continue to every day, like speak against, use the word of God to speak against the Bible says that we're more than conquerors, that the righteous are as bold as lions, using things like that to say, you know what, I'm not going to, even though I do have something in front of me that is terrifying, I'm not going to succumb to it and I'm going to choose courage and boldness to stand because my stance is needed. And I can't remember, you said you were raised Christian, is that right? But your faith became more and more important to you as you grew older?

I wouldn't even say more and more important to me. It was, when I was a kid, it was something that was just traditional. My parents were great. We were in church all the time. My dad was having us memorize Psalms and recite them in church, all that stuff. But it was always something that was just kind of my back pocket and it ebbed and flowed of, you know what, I'm going to take this really, really seriously. And then once things started to get good, it's like, okay, I'm good now. And so, but it wasn't until I actually got to the MBA to where I had a real encounter and moment of saying, you know what, I want Jesus to be Lord and Savior of my life. And I understood what that meant, again, to the leading and the teaching of my pastor.

And so it's all in the book as well. So I'm just curious, kind of as growing up, when did you consciously realize that you were better at basketball than just like a normal person? I would say probably middle school. Like when I made that switch from Bronx, New York to Naples for- Yeah, Naples doesn't have the same basketball culture as the Bronx. I really didn't play that much. I got on my first basketball team.

I wrote about this in the book as well. I went on my first basketball team and I was so bad. Were you tall? I was tall. So they just threw me at center.

You were probably like 6'6 in fourth grade or something? Something like that. And I remember we were playing a game and I messed up the game and I lost it for us and they just stopped picking me up for practice. But then I got on another- This was in Naples?

This was in Naples. I got on another team and the coach really started to work with me. And then I started to be like, oh my gosh, I can actually be good. And it was probably more so my peers that were the ones that were realizing it before me. And you had a passion and a skill both together.

And as you've grown, I'm kind of just like a geek with some of this stuff. How much training do you have to stay at an elite level? What does your training regimen look like both in-season and off-season? For the both of us, it's every day. Something every day that gears towards you being better. So it may not be a rigorous workout each day, but your treatment is something that goes into you becoming a better player.

And so there's something every day that rolls into performing at your best. When you- how many years have you been in national basketball? Seven. You've been for seven years. And walk us through from a training perspective, have you changed positions? Have you stayed the same type of player to try to extend the range of your game?

Yeah, I've stayed pretty much the same player. Most people know me for my defense. Is that what you want to be known for? No, I mean, I want to be known for both sides of the floor and that's continuing to grow.

But most people, I think I have the highest defensive percentage in the NBA right now. Really? Yeah. Well, blocks, rebounds, steals. And well, congratulations.

Appreciate it. And so, and the- no, I'm just asking because to perform at an elite and excellent level, there's constant competition, right? Right. And so you've been in for seven years. They're constantly drafting new players. They're constantly new blood.

And so you're doing something. Talk about the injuries, though. You've been through a fair amount of injuries, right? Yeah, it's been real.

I've had major injuries. One from- it actually happened in the bubble. And that was a whole thing.

What was it? Yeah, it tore my ACL. And so that was a whole thing in and of itself. That's 18 months, right? Almost.

Yeah, it was. Well, it took more than that. It took really two years for me to get back because I tore my ACL. And during my recovery, I tore my hamstring on my right side. And so I've had my fair share. I got to talk about fair share of setbacks that really trapped my faith. And I'm glad that I'm still standing. Are you ready to lose weight, but not sure where to start? Look, I understand.

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Well, turn your wants into musts and go to myphdweightloss.com, myphdweightloss.com. So kind of working through that and now being where you are, are you thankful to God for the injuries? Yes.

I'd say, yeah. I'd say, again, one of the things that I hold onto is you don't know God to be faithful until you need Him to be. You don't know that God is a truly loving Father until you need a loving Father. And so you learn more about God, the more trials and tribulations you go through, you learn that He really is there. He really is a faithful God.

And so if somebody has never needed God to be faithful in their lives, when they do go through something, they won't know Him to be faithful. And just to see all the blessings that have come out of... It hasn't been all humdrum. It's been amazing to be able to write a book that became a national bestseller. After I stood, my jersey sold second highest in the NBA, underneath LeBron.

Really? So I got married. I have a daughter now. It's been an amazing... God has been more than... Talk about that.

Just getting married, having a kid. I think our daughters are almost the same age. You said it was a year or... Seven months.

Yeah. A year and three months. She's walking. My baby girl is walking around, taking her little steps and stuff. She's going to be tall, I bet.

She is, for sure. But it's been a blessing. It's just been awesome to watch her grow. How has that changed you? I think it's added a layer of... Really just, I'm like, God, how the heck am I going to do this? But at the same time, added a layer of just trust. I don't know all the right things to do, but again, God is faithful and it's all going to work out. And I just want to relish in the love that's there. Tell us about Unitis. Oh yeah.

Thank you, man. Unitis is a values-based sports and apparel company that I started. And for me, the idea behind it is creating a community and ecosystem for people who don't look like each other, but share the same values to be able to come together around stylish, really cool merch, but again, standing for the values that we all hold to. And so it's not easy to be here. And you talked about at the beginning about one, it being an NBA season, but the fact of the matter of who I am. I'm an NBA basketball player. I'm an African-American. It's not easy to stand in this way to come here. I'm going to catch my fair share of flack and attack and whatnot. We have your back.

I appreciate you. But I say that because I still feel like it's necessary, for one, for me to be seen. One, because I share in the same values as understanding the necessity and value of Christ and traditional values and principles that have made this country what it is and continue to want to see it prosper. But I also understand that there are tons of people that look like me who may share the same values, but don't have either someone to look to or feel as comfortable entering the movement. And so Unitus for me is a way to say, Hey, there's an opportunity for us to all come together no matter what you look like, no matter what your background.

Neither slave nor Greek nor Jew. We're all one Christ Jesus. We're all one. And we can all come together around this brand. And even again, being here today is that same thing of saying, Hey, there are people that look like me that if they have the opportunity to see something like this, then they want to be a part as well.

And it's kind of bringing some people along with me. And so Unitus is that, and I'm so happy about it. We released the Judah One, which is my signature personal shoe as a basketball player. And it's the first signature NBA sneaker with a visible vibe.

Let's make it better selling than Air Jordan guys. Now that's a tall order, but we're not impossible. So why did you pick Judah? Judah is my middle name.

Oh, no way. Judah is my middle name. And so Jonathan Judah Isaac. And what's so funny is I never really understood it.

You have a very, very biblical name. Yeah. You know, his last name means laughter. So that Isaac means laughter. So yeah, I never really understood it. You embodied that very well in a good way. Yeah.

Never understood. My dad is Jacob. I'm his fourth son.

Which means usurper or heal, right? Redeemer is what Jacob means. So I'm his, I'm his fourth son. So Judah is Jacob's fourth son in the Bible. And he gave me the middle name and now that I've understood it, I've gravitated towards it more and held onto it.

So using the Judah for the Judah One, I think it just fit perfectly. And so you have a Unitus booth here. Yes. Right. And people can go and buy the merch.

Is that right? Buy the merch. They get a discount if they use the code out there.

You can buy the Judah One and also have some Why I Stay in Books out there as well. So I want to ask you about how Unitus can be part of the solution. Right. There is a fair amount at times of obsession about sneakerhead culture. Is that fair to say?

How do you think Unitus can go about solving some of the, I mean, some, I see videos of times people go into fights over getting, getting shoes. Is that fair to say? Is that, there's a obsession, we would say? Yeah. I don't know if we're going to be able to solve that.

Cause that's just, that's, that's just the world at the end of the day. But I think we can have a godly obsession for the Judah Ones and Unitus. So yeah, I'm excited to see where it goes.

We're working on really like expanding it and growing and, and you know, working on new stuff now that I'm really excited about. But again, just the mindset for me is I want to look back in 10 years and see different people from different backgrounds, you know, rallying around values and principles that we all hold to. I want to isolate something else you said, which I really love, which you, you keep on giving generous praise to the people around you, your pastor, a coach who finally started to work with you. Politics aside, because I think that's kind of honestly a silly thing to talk about in this regard, which is wouldn't it be better if we focused more national attention on giving young men mentors? Giving, I mean, a coach for you might have changed your life, right? Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.

They're needed. And, and it's just like, it's just like me having a team on a basketball court. Nobody can do it alone. And so I have my personal team that helps me be the best that I can be. Everybody needs somebody. Have you ever had to change who's on your team? Not from necessarily like a personal level, but like from like a business level or something like that. Yeah.

There's that, that needs to happen a lot. What is your final advice here for, there's a crisis of masculinity in the country. A lot of young men feel without direction, without purpose. Just the facts, you know, it's the most suicidal generation in history, the most alcohol addicted generation in history. What's your, what's your take?

What's your advice? I mean, you are an incredibly successful man and husband and father. Just you look at this and it's, it's a sad state of affairs of young men.

What's missing? I think the answer is, the answer is for us to be the change we want to see. I think more, I think part of the issue is a lot of men, you know, see the issue and, and just sit on it and, you know, think that I can't make a difference in this. But it, it is going to take each of us making a decision to say, I'm going to be the difference. And one person, you know, one young man seeing you or you becoming a mentor to one person can ultimately change the direction of everything that's happening. Are you now enjoying becoming a mentor to rookies in the league? Are you, because as much as you are receiving mentorship, are you starting to now be able to become a mentor yourself? You know, I love our rookies and, you know, they, they, they, they make jokes about me being an older guy on the team now.

But yeah, our rookies are great and yeah, it's gotten, you know, it's been fun getting to know them and grow. So now I have to ask just some kind of like wonky NBA questions. Okay. Diet, sleep, like, walk us through all the insight, like to perform at a high level. I mean, you must burn like 5,000 calories a game or something crazy, right? Something like that. I, I, I, there was one point in my NBA career where I was eating like five, 6,000 calories a day, trying to gain weight. And did it work? It worked, but it didn't at the same time.

They were trade-offs. And so as I kind of just let it happen, I was able to put a little weight on and I'm just like, you know what? I probably should have just let it happen to begin with instead of trying to force it. Um, but honestly, I wouldn't say I'm the most like stickler to like sleep and, and I don't eat much fried food, but, um, I, you know, Do some of your teammates eat fried food? Oh yeah. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. No, no.

Okay. That's just genetics then if you're able to play in the NBA, you would, you would be surprised, you know, uh, there, there are probably a few guys in the NBA that are on strict diets or things like that. I think most guys just, you know, you know, once you get older, for sure, you got to pay more attention to it. But if you saw what the young guys in the league were eating, you'd be like, you'd be surprised. They're eating Chick-fil-A and pizza. And I'm a pizza.

I like pizza. Gotcha. That's a gift from God, man. If you're good to just perform at the high level and to be able to do that, but just talk about, you know, you're, you're on the road, you know, how much sleep you're getting, what does that regimen look like? I mean, it's a grueling schedule. I don't think people realize what is 72 games, right? Is that 82 games, right? 82 games plus playoffs, preseason practice.

I mean, you are on your feet, moving, burning thousands of calories, easily 150, 200 days a year in a official Orlando Magic environment. And then probably another 75 informally. And then you got to add working on building Unitas. Writing a book. That's a national bestseller coming to speak to all of us and being a husband, being a father. So I'm all over the place.

I tried my best to figure out how to balance it, but I just kind of take it one day at a time and try my best to attack what's in front of me. Yeah. So you're not a big sleep guy. No.

And you could still, you could just perform that way. Yeah. I'm okay.

You, you, you don't get nervous for games anymore. Oh yeah, for sure. You still do? Yeah. Absolutely.

Just, just. How do you deal with that? I mean, that's, you know, people ask Charlie to get nervous for you speak.

I think it depends right on the group and all that, but so seven years, you still get. Yeah, for sure. Still, still get nervous before games.

And like you said, too, it really, it, at some point it does depend on the game too. If it's a big game, if it's playoffs, things like that. But yeah, for the most part, and then you talk about how do you deal with it again, just continuing to speak truth and speak the word of God. I love, you know, the righteous was bold as lions. I try my best to recite that to myself every game and just roll out there and go. What's your, what's been your favorite moment in the NBA so far? My favorite moment, it's it, we made the playoffs two years ago.

That was a great experience. And you know, we'll make the playoffs this year. So yeah, you guys are good this year. Yeah, absolutely. I don't watch the NBA, but I do. I'm a Jonathan Isaac fan.

I don't know about you guys. I'm gonna be cheering for one player, one player, one player on any closing thoughts, Jonathan, for audience advice for young people, stuff just to kind of cap it all together. I would say just never necessarily advice, but just for everybody. It's like, you know, there is this craze about, you know, saving our country, protecting our country and, and doing all these things. But for me, it's like at the end of the day, it doesn't matter who you vote for. You know, if you're Republican or Democrat at the end of the day, eternity matters. And I think a part of where we can find peace in what's happening and all the craziness that's going on is in the fact that, you know, Christ did overcome the world at the end of the day. So if our faith is there, then we're going to be okay, regardless of what happens in the next year or the next election or anything that happens.

It's the most important message. Well, Jonathan, I know I speak for so many. Your courage these last couple years has been inspiring. And you very well could have just done the new coolest thing. But you inspired a lot of people. And God blessed you tremendously for that. And it really means a lot to me.

Because I know I do not know what an MBA schedule is like. But when I heard you were coming, I was so unbelievably impressed. And I said, whatever we have to do to, you know, repay you to help to do this, because it shows that you really care about this message and you want to get it out.

We can't wait to see you speak on stage. And we're honored that you're here, man. Thank you. Thanks so much for listening, everybody. Email us as always, freedom at charliekirk.com. Thanks so much for listening. God bless. For more on many of these stories and news you can trust go to charliekirk.com
Whisper: medium.en / 2024-01-03 06:09:11 / 2024-01-03 06:28:57 / 20

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