Outspoken Christian, NBA star, and Daily Wire author Jonathan Isaac launched “UNITUS” — his new sports apparel brand centered on faith, family, and freedom at a star-studded event in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday evening.

Brett Cooper, host of “The Comments Section” on The Daily Wire, was on hand for a “fireside chat” with the Orlando Magic forward, discussing why he felt called to create the new company.

“I do see this as something that is bigger than me. … And so for that, I have to give glory and honor to Jesus Christ,” Isaac told Cooper before asking his pastor, Durone Hepburn, to lead the audience in prayer.

Cooper asked Isaac how he came up with the idea for the company — and the name.

“The name UNITUS actually came from Dr. Hepburn,” Isaac said before explaining that in 2020, he was actually signed by Nike, but suffered an injury and was not re-signed to the brand. Hepburn encouraged him to start a sneaker company — which then “blossomed” into a brand to “give people the freedom to buy with their values.”

During the conversation, the Florida State University graduate also explained what “true greatness” — a cornerstone of UNITUS — means to him.

“True greatness is the embodiment and the striving toward the values that we want to see celebrated in our marketplace and culture,” he said. “It’s one thing to say we stand for these values. … It’s one thing to shout ‘faith, freedom, and family’ from the rooftops … but if we’re not walking the walk, and talking the talk, then what does it really mean?”

Isaac went on to explain that “true greatness” is not defined by what the world values.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP

“We know that true greatness is found in none other than Jesus Christ,” he explained, saying it’s not about “accolades.”

“So that is what makes us truly great, and so we can step into the world, as we are, with boldness and confidence, and say, ‘I am truly great. I don’t need to measure myself by world standards.’ And that is what UNITUS is about.”

Isaac, the author of “Why I Stand,” made headlines and inspired others in 2020 after refusing to partake in the Black Lives Matter protests that were sweeping the nation, the corporate boardroom, and America’s professional sports leagues. Isaac was the first NBA player not to kneel for the national anthem that season and cited his Christian faith as the key reason why.

“In a time where our country needs men and women willing to stand for freedom of thought, personal medical decisions, and biblical values, courage could not be more paramount,” Isaac said in January 2022 after his book deal with DW Books was announced. “In this book, I’m going to tell the story of why I chose to stand. I hope it inspires others to do the same.”

Now, the husband, father, and minister hopes to continue a similar mission with UNITUS.

“Standing for what you believe in is going to get harder,” UNITUS tweeted prior to the launch event. “But it’s also going to become more necessary. UNITUS helps you confidently wear your values without compromising style or performance.”

Standing for what you believe in is going to get harder. But it's also going to become more necessary. UNITUS helps you confidently wear your values without compromising style or performance.

We're only 2 days out from launch day! Get started here: https://t.co/eHcYzvorvS pic.twitter.com/nklJzpxAXU

— UNITUS (@weareunitus) July 27, 2023

On the company website, UNITUS makes clear that the purpose of this clothing is to bring people together — not stoke controversies that separate them.

“For too long, the sports and lifestyle apparel game has been dominated by companies with divisive agendas,” the website reads. “Greatness has been defined only by how you perform—apart from who you are and how you live. And cancel culture has the millions of people who hold traditional values wondering, ‘What if I’m the only one?'”

The company offers adult and youth clothing, but emphasizes that it’s about “more than cool clothes — UNITUS is a community of people rallied around faith, family, freedom, and the pursuit of true greatness.”

“Together, we rise above by working every day to be the best we can be, joyfully serving others with integrity, and standing for what’s right,” UNITUS said.

The launch night featured dozens of athletes and conservative stars, such as Riley Gaines — the former D1 NCAA swimmer who has spoken out against radical gender ideology after being forced to swim against a male athlete who identifies as a woman.

“People are looking to put their money elsewhere,” Gaines said on the red carpet. “We see the direction Nike is going, we see all these corporations such as Bud Light and Target and Tampax … we see what they’re doing and people are fed up, but we don’t feel like we don’t have an alternative — especially when it comes to athletic wear … and now we do.”

At one point, Isaac told the crowd that what he wants to do is build a “community of people who say not only are these the values that I stand for, but these are the values I’m striving towards getting better at; no matter what you look like — black, white, indifferent, money, no money — if you understand the necessity and value of these values, then UNITUS is for you.”

A recorded live stream of the event can be seen here:

North American youth face a growing identity crisis: over 300,000 American teenagers identify as the opposite sex, while drug overdoses and suicide are the leading causes of death for younger Americans — claiming over 72,000 young lives in 2020 alone — as loneliness spreads among Gen Z.

These social contagions are fueled by declining numbers in church attendance nationwide, especially among young people. Surveys by Gallup and Pew Research show that increasing majorities of Millennials and Gen Zers do not belong to a church or attend services at all, and a sizable minority are now “religiously unaffiliated” — leading one writer to question if Gen Z should be called “Generation Atheist.”

Yet, in the midst of these problems, many youth have found purpose and identity in something greater — 36,000 teens and young adults from across the continent gathered last week for North American Youth Congress (NAYC), a biennial event that seeks to inspire young people to find purpose in faith and community service. NAYC is organized by the United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI).

“The teenagers and young adults who attend NAYC give us hope for the future,” said UPCI Youth Ministries President Michael Thomas. He said NAYC is “a beacon of light and hope in a world that is being overrun by problems and strife.” 

The event took place last Wednesday through Friday in St. Louis, consisting of worship services, practical training sessions, and a community service project, in which attendees packed thousands of disaster relief buckets in partnership with Reach Out America.

Thomas described the event as a “counterculture” in that “we try not to allow societal trends to mold or shape our thinking and beliefs” and directly addressed transgenderism at the event Wednesday night, stating that “Biblical holiness” protects against “gender confusion.”

“How you were born is how you were intended by your Creator to be.” Thomas passionately proclaimed. “God did not put a question mark after your DNA — God put an exclamation point after your DNA! The Word of God says you were fearfully and wonderfully made. Don’t let the world erase how God made you!”

UPCI Superintendent Dr. David K. Bernard contrasted the event’s attendees with broader American culture, which he described as “increasingly secular and even hostile to Christian values.”

Despite the overall decline of religiosity in American youth, Thomas said his organization is experiencing rapid growth, especially among teenagers and young adults.

Meanwhile, author and NYU professor Johnathan Haidt points to “extraordinarily high rates of anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicide and fragility” among Gen Zers as a “national crisis.” Haidt linked the rise of “isolating” activities like social media use to increased rates of depression, particularly among teen girls.

A 2016 study by the National Institute of Medicine, however, suggests that membership in a religious group can decrease one’s risk of depression and other mental health problems. NAYC’s organizers and attendees echoed the study, saying the conference helps youth connect with others and find their purpose in faith.

When asked about the mental health crisis, Thomas said that for these young Christians, “purpose and identity can be found in the Word of God.” 

“This purpose and identity are given to us by a loving Creator,” Thomas told The Daily Wire. “In a world of increasing loneliness and isolation, this event solidifies to a young person that they are not alone in their journey or their walk with God.” 

“NAYC helps me find community … in the power of coming in unity with people from all over the United States and worshiping the same God,” said 15-year-old Kayleigh Stephens. Anita Sullivan Lewis, of Cross Plains, Tennessee, told The Daily Wire that NAYC “gives my nonverbal son who has Down Syndrome and autism a sense of belonging. All the kids in our youth group include him, pray with him, make room for his wheelchair, and give him high fives to let him know he’s loved.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP

Back home, many of these students and parents face intense cultural battles in their school districts. Recent protests have broken out over new mandates in favor of teaching transgenderism and sexually explicit material to kids, uniting Christian and Muslim parents alike. Meanwhile, other religious groups openly embrace Left-wing ideologies.

“It is through our relationship with God and His Word that certain questions about our identity can be settled, our direction and purpose in life can be answered, and we can live the whole and complete life we were intended to live,” Thomas concluded.

As cultural battles intensify across the country, many people of faith are conflicted about how to proceed. Yet, the organizers of NAYC see a path forward.

Dr. Bernard said that Christians can be both “loving and firm” in these battles. “We should seek to uphold important values for life, marriage, family, and society; and we should partner with others who share these goals,” he said.

“We should respect everyone as created in God’s image and as souls for whom Christ died.” he continued. “We shouldn’t be antagonistic, harsh, hateful, or bigoted, even when provoked. At the same time, we [should] be firmly committed to truth, and doing so isn’t bigotry.”

Thomas echoed Bernard’s call for a firm stand for Biblical values while loving those with whom they disagree. He said that “Jesus showed us the perfect model for this in the New Testament.” 

“Jesus told us to love everyone, but this does not mean we condone or endorse their lifestyle if it is contrary to His Word. Every word and action that we as Christians display should be motivated by and saturated with love,” Thomas said. “Disagreement should never become hatred.”

This form of love resounds with young Stephens, and she said her mission as she returns from the conference is “to impact my community and school by showing the love and compassion of Christ, to see people filled with His Spirit, [and] their families renewed and restored. … I want lives to be changed and miracles to be performed.”

Amid the cultural battles in public schools across the country, attendees told The Daily Wire how NAYC inspires them to be strong in their faith despite facing opposition in their schools.

“I have been inspired in many ways,” said Talyha Bonny, 14, of Worcester, Massachusetts, who teaches Bible studies at her school over fierce ridicule by her classmates. “NAYC inspired me to put God first because when I do that, I will be strengthened, and I won’t be afraid.”

Stephens, from Troy, Missouri, described being a Christian in her public school as “a hard thing to do in the world we live in.” She said, “NAYC empowers me to tell my school about Jesus and the good he has done for me. It is hard to speak out and tell people about Jesus and the ‘why’ behind my acts,” she said, “but it is beyond rewarding seeing my friends go to church with me and ask me questions about my faith.”

NAYC was last held in 2019 with a pre-pandemic record of 37,000 attendees and took place virtually in 2021 due to the virus. The event will be held next in 2025 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.