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A few years ago it might have been. Isaac, who’s starting his 10th season with the Orlando Magic, spent a stretch of his career as one of the league’s most visibly Christian players, with invitations to talk about faith on stages and broadcasts. Lately, he’s been quieter. He says that’s on purpose. “I definitely felt the pressure of feeling like I had to speak out or say something, or kind of just wear my Christianity on my sleeve in a way that was going to make everybody else feel good,” he told RELEVANT. “And that really is tough. It’s a tough thing to deal with, even when you’re struggling in the background with faith or with your own struggles, while still having to present a certain way to other people.”
The way he puts it now is that following Jesus is hard enough without an audience. “Just Christianity as a whole — it’s hard enough in today’s age to be faithful, to seek and search after God and to cultivate that relationship. It’s hard enough to do that, period,” he said. “Then to do it with eyes on you, and pressure, and people coming around for the wrong reasons, and having difficulty trusting it. It’s a lot.”
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla told the Globe on Saturday that he has cut ties with Life Surge, the Christian organization that has come under scrutiny this week for alleged predatory financial practices at its faith-based conferences. Mazzulla spoke at a Life Surge event in Portland, Maine, last September and was scheduled for another Oct. 17 at an event in Hartford.
ILIC: Yeah, they have such a need to show that what they’re already doing is okay. Awful, bro, awful. And what’s worst is, most of these pro-European governments are funding it so much. KASUN: Well, look, we’re going back to some Satanism, let’s call it that. Look at the last Olympics – bro, don’t **** with me. It [referring to the Queer Last Supper images at the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony] was made with the highest level of Satanism. Mocking the Catholic Orthodox faith, mocking us Christians. And then they say, “That Tate dude, the Tate brothers are crazy…”. They came out to defend our faith, and they are Muslims! [points at head to signify bewilderment] ILIC: It’s all gone too far. KASUN: Brother, the world has gone to ****, it’s unreal. I feel sorry for my child, your child, his child. It is easy for us, we’ve been through the wringer already; I say, if I die tomorrow, I’ll say: “I lived to the fullest.” [But] what will those poor kids live for? My child can’t walk 50 meters from his house to the store after 5 pm. Where is that normal? And in Serbia, in Croatia, you can still to this day go from one end of Zagreb, at any time of the day, without anyone touching you. But now the [racial epithet] are starting to come, now this **** is getting out of hand.
KHTK-AM’s owner, Bonneville International, fired Napear with cause. The company felt Napear’s tweet was insensitive and offensive. Napear challenged the firing on several grounds. He stressed that, as a Christian and member of the Unitarian Church, “all lives matter” expresses his faith. Napear also invoked California Labor Code sections 1101 and 1102. This statute prohibits employers from interfering with an employee’s engagement in politics or political activities. It also makes it illegal for an employer to fire an employee based on a political motive. The case has been in litigation since 2021.
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But even before they’d connected that weekend, Mazzulla said he felt like he knew Holiday because of their shared Christian faith. More specifically, Mazzulla would often use a mobile app that featured Holiday reading Bible verses to users. “His voice is on the app, reading verses, and I would listen to it,” Mazzulla told The Athletic. “So I’ve always had, like, a spiritual connection to him.”
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
Michael Singer: Asked #Nuggets SL head coach John Beckett about decision to not have Christian on the roster. Said that call was above his paygrade, but said that Christian and MPJ were both planning on being out in Vegas to work with team.
At the time, Isaac’s stance was interpreted by some onlookers as a protest against the Black Lives Matter movement. Isaac said he was trying to promote his Christian beliefs and offer those beliefs as a solution to racial injustice — and was not attempting to denigrate Black Lives Matter. “Everybody’s about solutions,” Isaac said. “People were kneeling and people were wearing the T-shirt. And I completely respect that. That is (people’s) answer or that is a portion of (people) going about rectifying a problem or answering this situation.
Director Brien Ivie: Stephen, who is known very widely as a Christian athlete and a voice for faith, wanted to align himself with a story that shared his faith in a way that he really felt was compelling and authentic and not typically what you see in a lot of Christian media, which is typically very neatly packaged and doesn’t really feel like real life. This is his first film he’d done in Hollywood, and a way for him to make a statement.
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What is your view on extremist groups who say they are Muslim? Faried: To me it’s like, ‘Hey you have extremist Christians.’ So you have debates for both sides. As long as you don’t in a sense try to disrespect my faith and beliefs, like I’m OK with it. I can’t control what you’re doing and what you believe in. Kanter: It sucks, man. The majority, almost all, Muslims are peaceful. But you have radicals who do stupid things that no Muslims approve of and they become the face of Muslims in the media. Most Muslims I know donate money to charity, and help others. They are good neighbors.
What has been the typical reaction from teammates, coaches and executives when they find out you are Muslim? Abdul-Rauf: Initially, when I became a Muslim, it wasn’t looked at as a threat … And [people] say they’re Christians or they’re Jews, but you don’t necessarily see them practicing it, according to scripture. So, when I first became Muslim there was nothing. No concern on their faces. But when they saw me, ‘Hold on this guy is actually praying? He’s trying to find a closet and places to pray, talking about fasting.’ You know they had concerns about that, like, ‘I don’t think that’ll be a good thing.’ And, when they see you really trying to practice what you say you’re about, that’s when you start to see a little bit of the resistance as if though you’re not in this country club atmosphere.
After regularly reading the Holy Bible last year, Hood is currently ingesting a self-help book written by popular evangelical Christian pastor and author Rick Warren titled: Daily Inspiration for The Purpose Driven Life. Hood hauls the brown-covered book with him while traveling, has been spotted carrying it with him while entering the arena this postseason and keeps it in his locker for easy access. The motivational messages, which include 1,000 scriptural passages and reflections by Warren, soothe the soul of this young player and newish dad. Hood is soaking up the inspiration. He's trying to find his way in life as much as he’s trying to find a way to contribute to the Jazz’s success on the court during the franchise’s first postseason in five years.
When did you first feel that your faith was challenged? Dwight Howard: When I had my first child. ‘He’s supposed to be a Christian. He had a child without being married.’ I had to learn that a lot of times that the devil wants to destroy your testimony by trying to embarrass you. No matter what, I’m still a Christian. This is what Jesus died for, for my sins and for everybody else’s. You can’t allow the persecution to make you be afraid to talk about who you believe in.