NBA All Star game 2018: Fergie mangles Star Spangled Banner

Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie stole the show at the NBA All-Star game with a tortured version of the Star Spangled Banner | WATCH

Singer Fergie performs the US national anthem prior to the NBA All-Star game. Picture: AP

Pop vocalist Fergie has come under fire over her mangled rendition of The Star Spangled Banner before today’s NBA All Star game.

US basketball’s annual showcase, held in Hollywood, Los Angeles, featured no shortage of stars on and off the court.

Superstars LeBron James and Steph Curry got to pick their own teams, like a school playground, as the NBA tweaked their format this season for the 67th edition of the game.

Unfortunately Fergie, lead singer of the hip hop group the Black Eyed Peas, produced a tortured version of the national anthem that quickly earned a thumbs down on social media.

Some players were caught on camera stidling laughter, while others didn’t seem to know which way to look.

Here’s a clip from Fergie’s performance:

If Fergie was on Sabado Gigante during her rendition of the National Anthem the chacal would have played her off with the trumpet.pic.twitter.com/PxhNhYy1ga

— Erick Fernandez (@ErickFernandez) February 19, 2018

Kevin Hart: “I just engineered the biggest pre-game disaster in television history.”
Fergie: “Hold my beer.”

— Tim Ring (@timringTV) February 19, 2018

Not sure what Fergie was going for on that national anthem performance but if it was “my friends drunk mom acting sexy” she nailed it.

— Johnny Taylor, Jr. (@hipsterocracy) February 19, 2018

My ear after listening to Fergie “sing” that pic.twitter.com/w4pgp1PU6W

— Roff-A (@MJK_NY31) February 19, 2018

Barkley: Can we talk about Fergie's National Anthem... 😂 pic.twitter.com/RwZMYpLzsr

— Dime on UPROXX (@DimeUPROXX) February 19, 2018

Players faces during Fergie’s rendition of the National Anthem... pic.twitter.com/QQ3VXaBchT

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) February 19, 2018

To be fair, there were a handful of people who loved it:

I’ve seen the national anthem performed hundreds of times but never in the key of “Happy Birthday Mr. President” congrats @Fergie 🇺🇸💥🇺🇸💥

— Molly Knight (@molly_knight) February 19, 2018

Fergie’s performance followed elaborate pregame introductions by comedian Kevin Hart, and Canada’s national anthem sung by the Barenaked Ladies.

Earlier, NBA commissioner Adam Silver doubled down on his support of players speaking out on social and political issues, opening his comments at the Legends Brunch by thanking the veterans for setting the tone for current players. “Bill Russell was recognised before, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, I could go down the list of so many others here who created that tradition for the players in the NBA, who gave them the safety and comfort to speak out on issues that are important to them as they do today,” Silver said.

“I’m so proud of that legacy,” added the commissioner, who praised the current players on Saturday. “So thank you to all of the people in this room.”

The issue of players publicly speaking out on various issues surfaced during All-Star weekend after Fox News host Laura Ingraham criticised three-time NBA champion LeBron James for his recent comments. James previously responded with an Instagram post containing similar sentiments.

During the Legends Brunch, four players were honoured: Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Bill Walton, and James Worthy.

Here is a full version of the anthem:

Fergie's full anthem, if for some reason you want to watch it again.#ICYMI #NBA #NBAAllStarGame #Fergie pic.twitter.com/R9OyaV6g2D

— Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) February 19, 2018

Additional reporting: AP