The Philadelphia 76ers lost their season opener to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a close, energetic game, but one of the big stories from tonight came prior to tip-off. Singer Sevyn Streeter was scheduled to sing the national anthem, but was apparently denied the performance due to her jersey that read "We Matter".
Was suppose to sing the anthem at @sixers & @okcthunder game but mins b4 @sixers said I couldn't because I was wearing a "We Matter" jersey pic.twitter.com/wjoJN3rq0r
— Sevyn (@sevyn) October 27, 2016
The Sixers responded with the following statement, which doesn't really clarify what exactly happened.
"The Philadelphia 76ers organization encourages meaningful actions to drive social change. We use our games to bring people together, to build trust and to strengthen our communities. As we move from symbolic gestures to action, we will continue to leverage our platform to positively impact our community," the Sixers said in a statement.
A member of the Sixers Dance Team performed the anthem instead.
This isn't the first time that the Sixers were involved in a controversy surrounding the national anthem. Prior to their preseason finale against the Heat, the anthem singer revealed a Black Lives Matter shirt before performing the anthem on one knee.
According to ESPN, when asked for comment, an NBA spokesperson said the league is deferring to the Sixers' statement.
