There was a historic event at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday evening, when museum leaders joined NBA star Jonathan Isaac to unveil a new display that will become part of the museum’s Impact of the Bible exhibit.
This new exhibition features a signed pair of Isaac’s Judah 1, the first-ever signature basketball shoe to feature a visible Bible verse. The sneakers are just one product in Isaac’s growing Unitus sports apparel sales arsenal, as his faith-based company blends sports, fashion, and biblical truth.
Matthias Walther, chief marketing officer of the Museum of the Bible, introduced Isaac and unveiled the sneaker’s display. With faith having an increased presence in sports arenas across America, the new exhibition couldn’t come at a better time.
Text included with the shoes notes the historic nature of Isaac’s efforts to create a faith-based apparel company — one that is unlike anything we’ve seen before in professional athletics.
“The Judah 1 shoe line was the first NBA shoe to be worn with Scripture manufactured visibly on it,” the display reads, in part.
Isaac spoke during the event, reflecting on the ways God has used the Unitus brand to open doors and inspire people to live out their faith more boldly. The Orlando Magic star said the monumental honor at the museum left him asking God to help him make sense of such amazing opportunities.
“I was sitting down thinking to myself … ‘What does all this mean? Like, God, help me make sense of it all,'” he shared. “And the one thing that I felt like He was saying to me was, there were moments in my life where I placed ultimate value on what was ultimately valueless, while not focused on what was truly valuable, which was my relationship with Christ.”
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Isaac said his past decision to place value in temporal elements led to a litany of issues, including fear, uncertainty, and insecurity. Now, placing his faith first, he’s living according to the Gospel and watching the amazing ways God is working.
“When I look at this moment, to me it’s like this is my MVP — this is my hall of fame,” he said. “Only what you do for Christ will last.”
Walther said in a statement before the event that Isaac is just one of the believers whose impact is documented inside the sprawling 430,000 square-foot museum, a massive endeavor that opened in the nation’s capital back in 2017.
“The Bible is full of people who have impacted the world around them in lasting ways,” Walther said. “Believers around the world keep writing those stories. One of them is Jonathan Isaac, who by faith, turned a challenging situation into an opportunity. His inspiring story and his Unitus shoes with 1 Samuel 2:30 stitched on are … a natural fit for our Impact of the Bible gallery.”
And that challenging situation referenced by Walther dates back to 2020. As CBN News has reported, Isaac went viral that year for departing from his fellow Orlando teammates and refusing to kneel during the National Anthem or wear Black Lives Matter attire.
That decision catapulted him into the headlines and led him to write a book, “Why I Stand” and eventually create Unitus.
Reflecting back on his reasons for not taking part in the protests, Isaac told CBN in a recent interview that he knew in his heart that “Christ was the answer” to the racial divisions and other problems plaguing the nation.
“We had a problem,” he said. “We faced an issue. It was a tumultuous time, but I believe that Christ was the answer, and that’s ultimately why I stood.”
The decision sent Isaac into the headlines and sparked intense support — and debate. But he held strong to his faith and has gone on to now inspire others to wear Bible verses boldly on their sneakers and attire.
Museum of the Bible visitors can see Isaac’s sneakers on display now, and you can find out more about Unitus here.
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