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Published 17:00 IST, August 3rd 2020

What happened to Jonathan Isaac? Orlando Magic forward wheeled off court after ACL injury

What happened to Jonathan Isaac? Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac was wheeled off the court during the Magic vs Sacramento Kings matchup on Sunday.

Reported by: Devika Pawar
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This Sunday (Monday IST), Orlando Magic's forward Jonathan Isaac left their game against the Sacramento Kings. At the time, the 22-year-old was suspected to have a knee injury. After a few hours, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski confirmed that the forward had suffered from an ACL tear. 

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Jonathan Isaac injury update: What happened to Jonathan Isaac? Jonathan Isaac torn ACL injury

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Jonathan Isaac's ACL injury comes after his knee injury earlier this season, which caused him to miss 31 games before recovering and resuming play at Walt Disney World in Florida, Orlando. Isaac finished the game with four points and three rebounds during Magic's 132-116 victory against the Kings. He injured himself during the fourth quarter, where he drove up the lane between two defenders, but fell down while clutching his left knee with 9:19 minutes left. He left the game with his head in his hands, along with Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman.

After the injury, The Undefeated's Marc J Spears reported that the Magic feared that the 22-year-old forward had torn his ACL. This was Isaac's second game back after he hyperextended his knee on January 1 while playing the Washington Wizards. 

Before Wojnarowski's announcement, Orlando head coach Steve Clifford had stated that the team will remain hopeful about his injury. Isaac would also be staying at the NBA campus while his injury is being examined. Following Isaac's injury, Magic's Aaron Gordon admitted that Isaac's pain brought him to tears. "That was tough, man," Gordon said. "That one brought me to tears and instantly -- just because I know how good of a guy JI is and how hard he works and how hard he has worked to get back since hurting himself in D.C. That was tough." He further added that they hope it is a 'tweak' and not as bad as it looked.

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Jonathan Isaac injury update: What happened to Jonathan Isaac? 

Jonathan Isaac BLM comments

Before his injury, Isaac had been on the news for being the only player to not take the knee before the team played their first game. Isaac later stated that his decision to stand was personal and he supports BLM despite his decision to stand up. “Absolutely I believe that Black Lives Matter,” Isaac said. “A lot went into my decision…kneeling or wearing a ‘Black Lives Matter’ t-shirt don’t go hand in hand in supporting black lives. I do believe that Black Lives Matter, I just felt like it was a decision I had to make, and I didn’t feel like putting that shirt on and kneeling went hand in hand with supporting black lives.” Isaac was the No. 6 overall Draft Pick in 2017. Before his injury, Isaac was averaging 12.1 points and 6.9 rebounds this season. 

Also read | Magic forward Jonathan Issac hyperextends left knee: Jonathan Isaac injury update, Jonathan Isaac return

(Image source: Jonathan Isaac official Instagram – @jonisaac_01)

Updated 17:00 IST, August 3rd 2020