When 13-year-old Natalie Gilbert was asked to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a nationally televised NBA Western Conference playoff game, it was a dream come true. But what happened on the day of her performance was more like a nightmare.
On April 25, 2003, Natalie bravely stood alone at mid-court in Portland's Rose Garden Arena. As she began to belt out the familiar words of the national anthem before a capacity crowd, however, her mind went blank. She forgot the words. Closing her eyes and shaking her head, she appeared on the verge of tears.
At that moment Maurice Cheeks, the head coach of the Trailblazers, walked toward her. Cheeks put his arm around the girl and began singing with her.
"I didn't even know if I knew all the words, but as many times as I've heard the national anthem, I just went over and continued to sing," Cheeks told CBS SportsLine. "The words started coming back to me and I just tried to help her out."
As he reminded the girl of the lyrics she'd forgotten, he encouraged the crowd to sing along. They did. Together, they made it all the way through, to "the home of the brave."
