NBA forward Jonathan Isaac launches UNITUS conservative clothing line

Orlando Magic player Jonathan Isaac has launched his own athletic apparel company marketed towards Christians and conservatives.

The NBA forward made headlines in 2020 when he stood during the national anthem as his teammates knelt in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

Now, Isaac is running UNITUS, which he hopes will capture consumers who appreciated his decision to stand and do not approve of companies that publicly supported BLM.

"I believe that values matter, and in today's day when we do give our money to companies that don't support our values we're cosigning their message," he said in an interview on Fox & Friends. "So what I wanted to do was give Americans–freedom-loving, faith-loving Americans–the option to buy with their values."

His faith as a Christian is a big driver in the company's creation. He told Fox & Friends that he collaborated with this pastor to design the logo using the Arc of the Covenant as inspiration.

Isaac first announced the company on X, formerly Twitter, with a snippet from a mini-documentary titled "Unwoke Inc." by PragerU.

PragerU is an unaccredited, right-wing advocacy non-profit that was recently approved for use in Florida schools. PragerU has become popular for its 5-minute videos that are marketed as education and entertaining, and promote conservative ideals.

"Unwoke Inc." alleges that "wokeism" has permeated sports, entertainment and corporations, and hindered the ability for people with alternative perspectives to speak their mind. It concludes that this is a big economic opportunity for entrepreneurs like Isaac to capitalize on the spending power of those who feel threatened by the liberal ideals they associate with "wokeism."

Indeed, "wokeism" has been used as Republican catch-all, rallying cry to denounce any person, company or public official that has engaged in advocacy for marginalized groups, as reported by Mabinty Quarshie at USA TODAY.

In the video, Isaac said that "woke" companies "have made a conscious decision to either attack or undermine Christian values, you know conservative values."

Isaac said he envisions signing athletes who share similar outlooks across all sports. He also wants to tap into the market of families with up and coming athletes looking to spend money with a company that reflects their beliefs.

Contributing: Brandon Girod, Pensacola News Journal