NBA players show support for Jonathan Isaac after Magic forward suffers knee injury vs. Kings

Jordan Greer

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NBA players show support for Jonathan Isaac after Magic forward suffers knee injury vs. Kings image

The Magic dominated the Kings in a 132-116 victory Sunday, but the team was understandably subdued after the win.

Orlando forward Jonathan Isaac suffered a torn ACL in his left knee on a drive to the basket early in the fourth quarter, the Magic announced Monday morning. After blowing by his defender on the perimeter, Isaac's knee appeared to buckle as he gathered the ball for a shot attempt in the paint. He grabbed his knee in pain, and medical personnel immediately ran onto the floor.

MORE: Isaac explains decision to stand for national anthem

Isaac was taken off the court in a wheelchair and an MRI later revealed he had torn his ACL. The 22-year-old had already missed a large chunk of the 2019-20 season prior to the suspension of play with an injury to that same knee. Now he could be out for the majority of the 2020-21 campaign. 

After the Magic shared the unfortunate news, Isaac tweeted that his comeback "will be greater than my setback."

Despite playing limited minutes inside the NBA's "bubble," Isaac was making a notable impact for a Magic team looking to secure a playoff berth. In Friday's win over the Nets, Isaac scored 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting and grabbed six rebounds in 16 minutes. He tallied four points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals against the Kings before the injury.

"He was looking great actually and we were all very happy for him, mainly because he's a great guy, a great teammate and we all have a lot of respect for him," Magic center Nikola Vucevic said. "For him to go down like that was very difficult to see, especially when you know he just came back [from an injury]."

Players around the league offered messages of support for Isaac on social media, including Kings forward Harry Giles, who tore both of his ACLs in high school.

"Just kind of telling him to stay up, stay positive," Giles said. "I just hate to see that because it's tough. I don't really like speaking on that too much. It's just unfortunate, man, because he's been working and with the brace on. You hate to see him get hurt again."

Jordan Greer

Jordan Greer Photo

Jordan Greer has been with The Sporting News since 2015. He previously worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He is a graduate of Westminster College and Syracuse University.