Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac — who was ostensibly not an advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement in the past — weighed in on Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill getting dragged out of his car and detained on Sept. 8.
“All love to Hill, thank God the situation ended peacefully… but this should be shown to every black boy on how not to act when being pulled over, respectfully 🙏🏽,” Isaac’s post on X reads. “It’s immature as black men to put our lives in the hands of officers in this way! Especially when you’re of his caliber. Neither side has an obligation to be nice… but 9.99 times out of 10 you gone get what you give with LE. especially when you’re being pulled over for a valid reason… That’s fair… There are unjust exceptions/escalations of course 🙏🏽 This wasn’t anyone’s best moment on both sides. A nothing burger imo”
Isaac historically hasn’t been afraid of voicing his opinions, even if some may deem them controversial. He explained his rationale for not kneeling for the national anthem when many of his peers were during the NBA’s Orlando, Fla. bubble.
“That’s why I decided to stand,” Isaac said. “I had a conversation with my pastor the night before and ultimately said, ‘Listen, it’s bigger than skin color. It’s the hearts of men that need to be changed, and racism is not the only thing that plagues the hearts of men, but I know that the Gospel changes the hearts of men.’
“So, we had a conversation. It was like, ‘Look, this thing is gonna be crazy. It’s not gonna be something that I just do, and it just blows over. I’m gonna get a lot of backlash and attack for it.’ And he was like, ‘Look, you may be standing alone in that bubble, but I’m standing right there with you.’”
The 26-year-old also joked that he was toying with the idea of wearing Donald Trump’s shoes — the Never Surrender High-Top Sneakers, which were priced at $399 at the time of their release — in an NBA game.
Isaac seemingly hasn’t been able to stay healthy during his NBA career, though he played in most of Orlando’s contests in the 2023-24 regular season. He appeared in 58 of the Magic’s 82 games and averaged 6.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 0.7 steals and 1.2 blocks per contest in a bench role.
Hill implied that the traffic stop could have left him a lot worse for the wear if it weren’t for the fact that he’s a high-profile athlete.
“What if I wasn’t Tyreek Hill?” pic.twitter.com/cvFiZ80N1W
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) September 8, 2024
Anthony Weaver — the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator — gave his two cents on the incident as well, and he suggested that he’s relieved his children were born light-skinned so that they won’t be racially profiled.
“Weaver said that his wife is of Mexican descent and when his children were born light-skinned, he almost had a ‘sense of relief’ because they would not have to experience some of the things he has, alluding to profiling,” Joe Schad wrote.
Hill received citations for a seatbelt violation and for speeding at approximately 60 miles per hour.
Tyreek Hill was cited for speeding at a “visual estimation of 60 mph,” according to his citation. Here it is in addition to his seatbelt violation: pic.twitter.com/TygKe8ALmO
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) September 10, 2024
Fortunately for Dolphins fans, Hill played in the Dolphins’ first game of the 2024 regular season, which was against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Hill wasn’t merely on the field, either — he was arguably Miami’s best offensive player, considering he totaled a team-high 130 receiving yards.
The Dolphins managed to pick up a victory in their inaugural game of the season as well, as Miami won by a score of 20-17. The squad was one of three AFC East teams to win its season opener.
