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Magic rookie Jonathan Isaac forgot what to wear to a game in his NBA debut

DJ Dunson
Jonathan Isaac is an integral part of the Orlando Magic’s future, if he can remember what attire to wear. (AP)
Jonathan Isaac is an integral part of the Orlando Magic’s future, if he can remember what attire to wear. (AP)

Orlando Magic rookie Jonathan Isaac’s NBA debut was quite forgettable. The sixth overall pick vanished for most of his 20 minutes on the offensive end against the Miami Heat on Wednesday, notching only four points on three shots, including one air ball, although the 6-foot-11 forward managed eight rebounds and two blocks.

But the most memorable portion of his evening occurred when Magic coach Frank Vogel ordered him to check in for the first time midway through the opening quarter, and Isaac, wearing his warmups on the bench, realized he’d left his jersey top in the locker room.

Via CBS Sports:

“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.”

Isaac’s forgetfulness is a whimsical footnote in history, but Magic fans should hope that it portends this is history repeating itself. The last prominent NBA player to forget something so essential was also a rook — New Orleans Pelicans big man Anthony Davis during the 2012 Summer Olympics. Davis had yet to play a minute of NBA basketball when he earned a spot on Team USA’s roster. During an 83-point win over Nigeria, Davis sat the entire first half after leaving his jersey in the locker room.

That’s not the only thing Isaac shares with Davis. Isaac was also a toothpick thin, one-and-done shot-erasing forward who possessed a blend of 6-11 size and a pterodactyl’s wingspan. Davis has the Brow. Isaac has Janelle Monáe’s signature hairdo. Offensively, Isaac is more raw and less aggressive than Davis, but defensively he already has the tools to be a future Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

Thankfully for Isaac, Vogel didn’t glue him to the pine longer for wearing improper attire. Maybe if somebody had told Isaac exactly how much Disney is paying to display their patch on the Magic’s jersey, this wouldn’t have happened.

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