A Cause Close to the Heart

OKC Thunder player Isaiah Joe’s foundation supports a variety of causes, including children’s hospitals.

There’s a personal reason for that.

According to the CDC, roughly 40,000 U.S. babies each year have a heart condition, and 10,000 of them are serious enough to require immediate surgical intervention.

Isaiah’s younger brother Jon was one of them.

The Joe Family’s Connection to Pediatric Medicine

“Jon is a little bit of a miracle baby,” says Derrick Joe, Isaiah’s father. “You never expect to have a situation where you’re five months into a pregnancy and the doctor says, ‘Hey, something’s wrong.’”

Early screenings caught a life-threatening heart condition while Jon was in the womb. He required multiple heart surgeries at Arkansas Children’s Hospital before the age of 4. Isaiah was 6 years old when his younger brother was born; family members helped take care of the boys at their home in Fort Smith, Arkansas, while their parents traveled back and forth to Little Rock for Jon’s care.

It was a tough challenge for the family, but they weathered it together. Isaiah’s father believes it had a real influence on his son, even at such a young age. “We’re a ‘no-excuses’ family,” he says, “and Jon really sets that tone. If he can go through what he’s been through, what do we have to complain about? Isaiah carries that same mindset, because he watched his little brother fight through things none of us have ever faced.”

The Isaiah Joe Family Foundation

Fast forward to 2026, and the family is in a very different place.

Jon Joe is now a healthy young man. Isaiah Joe is now an NBA player and won a championship with the Oklahoma City Thunder. And he’s now able to give back to the organizations, causes and communities he cares about: The Isaiah Joe Family Foundation supports basketball camps, the Fort Kids Children’s Museum, the Fort Smith Boys and Girls Clubs, HAWKS (Hard at Work Kids) and other important causes.

Those include the Oklahoma and Arkansas Children’s Hospitals. Facilities like these are the reason Jon Joe could grow up happy and healthy, and when it came time for Isaiah to pick charities to support, they were an obvious choice.

“As a child, my youngest brother was given the opportunity to live a healthy life because of the Children’s Hospital in Arkansas,” he says. “Fast forward and his heart condition is not a hindrance to his life, but a sign of the fight that was won because of Children’s.”

The Isaiah Joe Children’s Classic

On July 12 and 13, the Isaiah Joe Family Foundation is hosting a two-day event including a cocktail reception and the Isaiah Joe Children’s Classic Golf Tournament at the Oak Tree National golf course. The proceeds will fund pediatric cardiology initiatives at both hospitals.

“I’m extremely excited to be hosting my first annual charity golf event,” Isaiah says. “Golf is such a close sport to me, and I see it as the perfect outing to get people together to enjoy the day on a beautiful course while also supporting a great cause. This event wouldn’t mean anything without the reason behind it.”

Few families see a member achieve the level of success Isaiah has, and his choice to give back to something so close to all of them is a source of understandable pride for the Joes. “As he’s grown and especially since entering the NBA, he’s gained an even deeper understanding of Jon’s condition and what it means for our family,” says Derrick Joe. “When he decided he wanted to support Oklahoma Children’s Hospital and Arkansas Children’s Hospital through his foundation, that was all him. I always hoped he would choose those hospitals, but it was his decision, and I’m grateful he made it.”

Isaiah agrees. “It’s something that I’ve been thinking about for a while now,” he says, “and it means a lot that I can make it happen.

“I’m honored to have this opportunity.”

This article appears in America At 250.