Portland Trail Blazers
Anthem Singer Gets Second Shot
… 22 Years Later
Published
A little girl who needed Maurice Cheeks‘ help to sing the national anthem at a Portland Trail Blazers game in 2003 had a second shot at the song on Wednesday … and the now-Knicks assistant was in the building for the redemption!!
Natalie Zito was 13 years old when she was picked to sing the “Star-Spangled Banner” ahead of the Blazers’ Game 3 playoff matchup in 2003 … but nerves got the best of her, and Cheeks stepped in to help her finish the rendition.
The heartwarming moment became one of the most memorable in the NBA’s anthem history … and more than two decades later, Zito took another crack at it.
Zito sang her heart out before the Blazers took on the New York Knicks at the Moda Center … and she did it effortlessly.
What makes this even cooler is Cheeks — now an assistant coach for NY — was there to witness it. The two also had a chance to catch up … and took a photo together.
“This moment changed my life and I wouldn’t have had it any other way,” Zito said of the ’03 performance. “I would not go back in time and change it at all.”
“Seeing [Cheeks] and seeing that he’s still a standup today that he was back then — amazing!”