Man in the Middle

Isaiah Stewart was born in Rochester, New York. He grew up with his father, Dela Stewart, who introduced him to sports at an early age. Isaiah first started with soccer and boxing but began playing basketball in the 5th grade. Isaiah’s love for basketball quickly grew, as he said, “Once I found that competitive edge, once I saw how fun it was to get better at basketball, once I saw how fun it was to compete. I just continued to stay with it.” By middle school, Isaiah was recognized for his basketball talent and was highly sought after by AAU teams.

In high school, Isaiah attended McQuaid Jesuit High School, playing for the team during his freshman and sophomore year before transferring to La Lumiere School. Isaiah earned many accolades during his high school career, including McDonald's All-American honors, Mr. Basketball USA, the 2019 Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Player of the Year. As a five-star recruit and a top five player for the 2019 recruiting class, Isaiah committed to the Washington Huskies. In just his freshman year, Isaiah made both the All-Pac-12 first team and the Freshman Team.

In 2020, Isaiah declared for the NBA draft and was the 16th overall pick. While initially drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers, Isaiah was eventually traded to the Detroit Pistons, where he currently plays today. When reflecting on his son’s journey to the NBA, Dela says, “In every way I am proud. One hundred percent. In every way. I love him because he is my son, and he makes me proud.”