The new format of this year’s NBA All Star Game was just the shake-up that the often non-competitive event needed, as it resulted in an intense game that made for great TV right up to the closing seconds. The entirety of the All Star weekend itself was more of a mixed bag, though. The dunk contest wasn’t exactly the best one ever, and then there was Fergie’s national anthem performance.
The singer took a non-traditional approach to her rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and that lead to some mixed reactions. The most notable of those was that of Draymond Green, who was seen laughing during Fergie’s performance. There’s been some debate about whether it was actually the performance he cracked a smile at or if it was something else, but Green doesn’t seem to want to offer clarification.
In a post-game interview, he was told of his reaction’s meme status, and when asked what was going through his head in that moment, he cracked a smile and answered, “I was just chillin’, man.” He was then asked about his thoughts on the national anthem, and he said, “I was… I don’t know. It’s the national anthem.”
Fergie has offered a reaction to the backlash, saying, “I’ve always been honored and proud to perform the national anthem and last night I wanted to try something special for the NBA. I’m a risk taker artistically, but clearly this rendition didn’t strike the intended tone. I love this country and honestly tried my best.”
Watch Draymond explain his reaction in the video above, starting at about 1:20 into the clip.
