Fans in attendance for Wednesday evening's Portland Trail Blazers-New York Knicks game were treated to one of the coolest moments of the NBA season, for reasons that had nothing to do with basketball.
Let's set the scene. Back in 2003, the Blazers were playing the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference playoffs. Ahead of Game 3 in Portland, the team invited 13-year-old Natalie Gilbert to sing the national anthem. The young singer stumbled over her words under the bright lights of the playoffs, at which point then-Blazers head coach Mo Cheeks stepped in and helped lead her through the anthem with a kind hand on her shoulder. It was a heartfelt moment and one of the earliest "viral" NBA moments.
On Wednesday, Cheeks returned to Portland as an assistant coach for the Knicks. The Blazers decided to invite the now-Natalie Zito back to sing the anthem.
It was a heartening scene, and Cheeks was beaming the whole time. It is also important to note that Zito absolutely nailed it this time around.
A Rip City redemption like no other 🥹❤️🎶 pic.twitter.com/FHPZuZDuMJ
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) March 13, 2025
What a sweet moment for everybody involved.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Trail Blazers Bring Back Anthem Singer From 2003 for Redemption Performance.
