As part of their annual Pride Night celebration on Thursday, the Golden State Warriors invited gay singer Jason Brock to perform the national anthem ahead of a matchup against the Miami Heat.
During his rendition of the national anthem, Brock put his own twist on the performance by pulling a miniature pride flag out of his jacket pocket and waving it back and forth.
Brock finished the anthem, and the Warriors game went on as planned. Online, though, a controversy was created after cameras captured two Golden State players appearing to smile and chuckle while Brock was singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
“The Warriors had a gay National Anthem singer and the players couldn’t stop laughing,” a viral post from X account @BrickCenter_ said.
Brock saw the reaction to the pregame moment online and chose to respond using his personal X account.
“This is me singing,” Brock wrote in one tweet. “Wasn’t expecting such a strong reaction, but it was Pride night AND we won.”
“Wow I didn’t interpret it like this, but I wasn’t watching the players,” Brock added about people speculating that the Warriors players were laughing at him. “Just because they were laughing doesn’t mean it was because of the anthem.”
There were two Warriors players, reserves Charles Bassey and De’Anthony Melton, seen smiling and laughing as a camera panned to them during the national anthem.
As Brock said, though, it is unclear exactly what they were chuckling about or if it was even related to the singer’s performance.
The viral moment continues a recent string of incidents that have placed a renewed focus on NBA player actions during the pregame national anthem.
Last month, President Donald Trump created a kerfuffle by verbally attacking LeBron James because the Philadelphia 76ers forward was simulating a practice golf swing during the national anthem.
Like James’ pregame movements during the national anthem, Thursday’s incident at the Warriors game will likely end up being much ado about nothing.
The Warriors eventually defeated the Heat 120-100 behind Stephen Curry’s game-high 29 points and six 3-pointers.
Bassey scored eight points, pulled down seven rebounds, and had three blocks in 14 minutes off the bench, while Melton chipped in five points, six rebounds, and two assists in 17 minutes.
Brock, who is also a YouTuber and actor, gained increased notoriety after finishing 13th in Season 2 of TV show “X Factor USA” in 2012. He regularly performs the national anthem at San Francisco Giants games during the MLB season, according to a biography on his website.
Back in 2018, Brock discussed his experience growing up in Texas and being gay.
“There were some good things about growing up in a Christian conservative area,” Brock said in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “On one hand, there is a strong community in the church. I feel like people cared about me and we were all seeking the same thing: God.”
“Being gay was a big conflict for me,” Brock continued. “They always talked about it being a sin. I knew that I couldn’t come out to them or my family and be accepted. They would always think I was a sinner, that I was wrong.”
“In fact, being gay had quite a stigma, something a bit worse than other kinds of sins, you know? And being gay isn’t a one-time sin, it’s ongoing, so yeah, it sucked. I loved it on one hand, but then didn’t fit in with it on the other,” he added