As the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks began their quest for the 2026 NBA championship on Wednesday (June 3), Tori Kelly set the tone with her pitch-perfect rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Kelly was the first national anthem singer for the 2026 NBA Finals, which started Wednesday night with game 1 at San Antonio’s Frost Bank Center. With a statue of the Larry O’Brien Trophy on the court behind her, Kelly performed a restrained, technically immaculate version of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” wearing a cream collared jacket with brown-striped sleeves paired with chocolate-brown drawstring leather pants. She mostly stuck to the melody we know so well, making minor changes that packed a major punch, including modulating her final high note on “free” seamlessly into the “and the home of the brave” finale.
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In addition to the Spurs and Knicks players and coaches listening respectfully to the anthem, the ABC broadcast also cut to a Marine Corps base in Okinawa, Japan, where members of the U.S. military were watching the game abroad.
This was clearly not Kelly’s first time singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” She also performed the national anthem at the 2021 Kentucky Derby and even at the 2024 Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match.
Kelly is no stranger to the basketball court, as she’s been married to German former professional hoops star André Murillo since 2018.
Up next for Kelly: The singer/songwriter will release her new album God Must Really Love Me on June 12. The album was preceded by joint singles “Dive” and “Control” last month.
Watch Kelly’s national anthem performance below:
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