National Basketball Association

Kings national anthem singer takes a knee during performance

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The national anthem singer at the Sacramento Kings’ preseason game on Monday chose to take a knee while performing the song.

Ahead of the Kings’ friendly against Israeli League team Maccabi Haifa, singer Leah Tysse went down to one knee during the final lines of the anthem, in solidarity with the ongoing protests of racial inequality and police brutality taking place across sports. 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began the wave of protests during the NFL preseason and popularized kneeling during the anthem.

Leah Tysee, part of KFBK's 31 Survivors in 31 Days breast cancer series, kneels while singing National Anthem at @SacramentoKings game. pic.twitter.com/Xo0DmAUFIs
— HeatherPeterson KFBK (@heatherp_kfbk) October 11, 2016

Woman singing national anthem at @SacramentoKings games takes a knee while singing "Land of the free and the home of the brave." @kcranews pic.twitter.com/ddaUjZO521
— Dana Griffin (@KCRADana) October 11, 2016

Tysse, who was cheered as she kneeled, later shared her explanation for her actions on social media.

Why I took a knee while singing the Anthem at a Sacramento Kings NBA game: This act embodies the conflict many of... https://t.co/Mugd1DtjJA
— Leah Tysse (@LeahTysse) October 11, 2016

"I love and honor my country as deeply as anyone yet it is my responsibility as an American to speak up against injustice as it affects my fellow Americans. I have sung the anthem before but this time taking a knee felt like the most patriotic thing I could do," she said in a statement.

The Kings, playing their first game at the new Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, locked arms during the anthem in a show of solidarity.

The NBA’s rules require players to stand during the anthem, but the league and players association announced recently that they plan to work together to figure out how to best allow players to express themselves during the song.

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