The stars will be out for Tuesday’s NBA Cup between the Bucks and Thunder, but each team had to endure some adversity to get to this point.
Oklahoma City has the West’s best record at 20-5, but an early injury to Isaiah Hartenstein followed by a long-term hip injury sidelining Chet Holmgren forced the Thunder to be thinner in the frontcourt than they imagined.
The Bucks, meanwhile, have rallied from a 2-8 start and are 12-3 over their last 15 games. Doc Rivers largely stayed the course and has Milwaukee already within striking distance of a top-four seed in the East in addition to the doorstep of an NBA Cup banner.
Getting the action started in Las Vegas on Tuesday will be Mickey Guyton, who is set to deliver her rendition of the national anthem.
Here’s what you need to know about Guyton and why she was chosen.
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Who is Mickey Guyton?
Guyton is a country and R&B singer who was born in Arlington, Texas. She decided to start singing after seeing LeAnn Rimes sing the national anthem before a Texas Rangers game, so every anthem performance is a full-circle moment for the 41-year-old.
After spending her college years in Los Angeles, Guyton moved to Nashville and released her debut single in 2015. She earned her first Grammy nomination in 2020 for “Black Like Me,” a song released in honor of George Floyd amid nationwide protests, and released her debut album in 2021 after putting out an EP in 2015.
Guyton has earned four Grammy nominations and four more award nominations between three country music award shows.
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Why is Mickey Guyton singing the national anthem?
Guyton has plenty of experience singing the national anthem on the national stage. She sang The Star-Spangled Banner before Super Bowl 56 between the Rams and Bengals nearly three years ago and delivered a rendition at the Democratic National Convention in August.
The NBA Cup final is no Super Bowl — even the NBA would admit that — but it’s the biggest stage of the regular season for the league, and the eyes will be on her in Las Vegas before the Bucks and Thunder face off.
Country music star and four-time GRAMMY nominee @MickeyGuyton is set to sing the National Anthem before the 2024 #EmiratesNBACup Championship Game on Tuesday, December 17, at 8:30pm/et on ABC. pic.twitter.com/wXumCABJ53
— NBA (@NBA) December 16, 2024
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While Guyton doesn’t have any direct ties to the NBA or either team playing on Tuesday, she has attended the ESPY Awards multiple times and performed “Remember Her Name” at the 2022 ceremony to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of Title XI equal rights laws.
Guyton has proven she can deliver on the brightest stages with her previous anthem performances, and if you can do it at the Super Bowl, you can do it at the NBA Cup final. The NBA is intent on turning the end of the tournament into a national event. Bringing in a singer who has performed in front of easily the biggest audience in American sports helps accomplish that goal.
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