ORLANDO, Fla. -- Jonathan Isaac was really excited for the first game of his NBA career. Like, really excited for it. Everybody knows about those first-game jitters young players go through and it was no different for the 20-year-old who was taken with the sixth overall pick in last summer's draft by the Magic. However, while most players nerves show through on the court, Isaac's took place off of it.
Following Isaac's pro debut against the Heat, a 116-109 Orlando victory, he spoke with reporters about dealing with his nerves and eventually getting into the normal flow of a real NBA game. He's fortunate he didn't start though, because he would have pulled off his warmup hoodie to reveal no jersey underneath. Isaac was so nervous about his first game that he forgot his jersey in the locker room.
"I didn't even put my jersey on. I was on the bench and I completely forgot my jersey. I didn't even put it on," Isaac said.
When asked when he retrieved his white, pinstriped Magic jersey, he said: "five minutes left in the first quarter. [I left it] sitting right there."
That is amazing. Everybody hears years down the line about players who did something silly in their rookie year -- whether it was calling the wrong play, getting schooled by a vet, or some for of (friendly) hazing -- but it's rare to hear that someone make an admission like this one.
What if Isaac didn't notice he forgot his jersey? Would he have ripped off his warmups and stepped on to the court topless? Luckily for the rook, he noticed it, otherwise this funny story might have ended up as a blooper video on Twitter. Welcome to the league, rookie.
