NBA star and Charlie Kirk friend Jonathan Isaac launches sneakers with poignant message after assassination

NBA star Jonathan Isaac is set to launch a sneaker collection which includes the same inspiring religious messages promoted by his good friend Charlie Kirk.

Isaac, who plays as a power forward for the Orlando Magic, was one of many left devastated by the shocking events that played out last week at Utah Valley University, where Kirk was shot and killed while hosting a Q&A event with students.

The MAGA influencer's assassination rocked the world to its core, with the suspected shooter, Tyler Robinson, revealed as a 22-year-old with far-left ideologies.

And ahead of the launch of his 'Judah 2' sneakers - which will feature verses from the Bible - Isaac has paid tribute to Kirk while stressing that he only ever believed in civil discourse.

'It’s tough to put into words. Really the only thing that I can say is just to speak to who Charlie was. Everybody will talk about what Charlie has said and his stances and stuff like that – Charlie had my respect,' the basketball player told Fox News.

'Not because I agreed with everything he had ever said or done. Some of the conversations we had was even me disagreeing with things he said. But we always had civil discourse, and he was always prepared to talk about why he thought what he thought. To me, that’s a respectable man.'

Isaac and Kirk became close over the years, texting back and forth on occasion, while the former was also invited on his pal's podcast.

One of Kirk's goals was to bring Christians together while also respecing other viewpoints and faiths at the same time, which is a message that Isaac's new sneakers also emits.

His previous 'Judah 1' collection sold out completely, he claims, meaning he wanted to step things up a notch this time around and include passages from the Bible on the shoes.

'It’s about free expression,' Isaac explained. 'It’s about I’m a Christian guy, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Lord and king of the world and lord and savior of my life, and I want to wear these shoes as a tribute to him. And anybody who wants to do the same, join me.

'If you disagree with me, I’ve always tried my best with whatever stances I’ve taken to be graceful about it and truly try to care and understand the person that’s on the other side of it. Maybe we agree to disagree, but I’m never the type to try to impose myself on anybody else.'

He added: 'Let’s build this thing as a brand to unite Christians, lovers of God, lovers of country all across the nation, and give them a touchpoint to know each other, recognize each other, but also, to have their faith right in front of them.'