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.
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