Marvin Gaye's All-Star Game national anthem performance: Looking back at the defining moment from 1983

Marvin Gaye changed the way the US national anthem was performed at sporting events and elsewhere. It happened after he sang the patriotic song at the 1983 All-Star game in LA. To date, that edition of the All-Star game remains associated with the R&B artist.

Gaye was never even the first choice to sing the national anthem that year. However, it was meant to be his stage that night. It gave room for artistic freedom to develop further. Here's a clip of Gaye's scintillating performance:

Some still preferred to have the originality intact regarding the historical song. However, Gaye's rendition seemed to have positively impacted the majority of the listeners. Gaye had a tremendous fan following among NBA circles, including yesteryear All-Stars like Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson.

Thomas reflected on this historic moment, saying (via Andscape):

“[After the game,] it was just common knowledge that whenever you talked about the anthem, everybody just pointed to it like, ‘Yeah, that was the best one that was ever done.’"

He added:

"Not because his techniques were good — they were — but because spiritually, in that moment, he really captured the feelings of everyone in The Forum. I’ve never been part of an anthem where everybody’s just in unison and lost control and just started moving. It was a beautiful moment.”

Nobody before Marvin Gaye tinkered with how the national anthem was sung previously. Gaye himself always sang the anthem with traditional beats whenever he performed it during various events.

Click here to read Isiah Thomas' comments on Marvin Gaye's rendition of the national anthem at the 1983 All-Star Game.

Marvin Gaye's rendition opened the doors for artists to sing their own version of the national anthem for decades

The NBA All-Star game and the league, in general, have become far more global and popular than it was back in the day. It's not just strictly about the sport. The league is far more diverse, welcoming, and respectful toward all communities.

The world of Hollywood and music, in particular, has grown its relationship with the NBA. The artistic freedom that never existed back in the day found a new spark after the 1983 All-Star game when Marvin Gaye surprised and pulled everyone together at The Forum with his beautiful rendition of the national anthem.

The national anthem is played before every game in the NBA. It was always performed with traditional beats decades ago, even during All-Star games, but that has changed entirely over the years.

Some teams have a new performer before every game, who either sings the song in their own way or plays it with an instrument. This uniqueness reflects emotions coming through artists in a variety of ways. This is thanks to the late legendary Marvin Gaye, who opened the gates to a trend that has held up for decades after his historic delivery at the 1983 All-Star game.