Watch: Singer Puts One of the Most Unexpected Twists on Nat'l Anthem Before NBA All-Star Game
Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte, North Carolina, went about as expected: Not much defense, a lot of scoring, and some pretty spectacular dunks — and passes.
But the highlight of the evening for many was the national anthem by soul singer Anthony Hamilton.
Hamilton, accompanied by two acoustic guitar players, delivered a unique, slowed down version.
And it seemed to resonate with most viewers.
Anthony Hamilton puts his spin on the American National Anthem #NBAAllStar #NBADunkContest
. pic.twitter.com/Lt3xGvsRtk— Sports Gifs & Videos (@Supreme_Gifs) February 18, 2019
It was a seen as a vast improvement over last year’s national anthem by Fergie, who, by most accounts, gave one of the worst renditions ever.
Fergie sang it like a lounge singer, which just didn’t work.
Hamilton, a 48-year-old singer from Charlotte, is not a household name, but he is certainly gaining attention for this performance.
Some have compared it to Marvin Gaye’s version of the national anthem at the 1983 NBA All-Star game.
Most of the feedback from social media on Hamilton’s version was positive.
Anthony Hamilton just had one of the best National Anthem performances I’ve seen. That was fantastic.
— T.J. McBride (@TJMcBrideNBA) February 18, 2019
Although there were some who did not like it.
Anthony Hamilton just did one of the worst renditions of the national anthem I have ever heard. #NBAAllstar2019
— Michael Scotch (@beanfloppy) February 18, 2019
As for the game, itself, Team LeBron broke open a close contest with a 46-33 fourth quarter to win 178-164 over Team Giannis.
The play of the game was a bounce pass alley oop from Steph Curry to Giannis Antetounmpo.
Another angle of that bounce pass OOP from Curry to Giannis pic.twitter.com/8xra1UiDKp
— Steve Noah (@Steve_OS) February 18, 2019
Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 38 points.
Kevin Durant walked away with the MVP with 31 points for Team LeBron.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
