Prior to Game 3 of the 2003 Western Conference Finals, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Maurice Cheeks famously stepped in to help 13-year-old National Anthem singer Natalie Gilbert, who had forgotten the lyrics mid-way through her performance.
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Instead of what could have been an all-time embarrassing moment, Cheeks singing along with Gilbert, turned it all around to be a heartfelt unforgettable memory.
This moment between Maurice Cheeks and a pregame National Anthem singer from 2003! #4thofJuly ❤️ pic.twitter.com/oYigTmOGEl
— NBA (@NBA) July 4, 2022
22 years later, for Wednesday's game vs. the Knicks, Gilbert (now married as Mrs. Zito) was brought back to perform the Star-Spangled Banner once again in front of the Blazers home crowd. And it just so happened that Cheeks was also in attendance, as he is currently an assistant coach for New York.
A Rip City redemption like no other 🥹❤️🎶 pic.twitter.com/FHPZuZDuMJ
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) March 13, 2025
Cheeks looked on with all smiles, watching Zito perfect the anthem two decades later, as it was evident Zito nailed the performance this time around.
Certainly, it was night-and-day from her performance years ago, where she described feeling "helpless and hopeless."
"That's a hard time in a young child's life, where something like that happens on national television," Zito told The Athletic. "That moment really stuck with me."
She credits NBA legend Mo Cheeks for getting her through it, and having a lasting positive impact on her life.
"This moment changed my life. And I wouldn't have had it any other way. I would not go back in time and change it at all," said Zito. "Seeing him and seeing that he's still the standup guy today that he was back then, it's amazing."
As Zito recalled, this National Anthem mishap even led to middle school peers picking on her. Yet, this redemption story has now gone full circle, as it was an awe-inspiring performance from Gilbert during her re-do try.
"It's the best example I can show my children," Zito said. "That, hey, it's OK to make mistakes. It's all about how you recover from them."
That is to say, this may go down as the best assist of Mo Cheeks' legendary career (7,392 assists; 16th all-time in NBA history).
