Grammy-nominated singer-actor Wilson has performed the national anthem before nearly every Knicks playoff game at Madison Square Garden during this year’s historic run to the NBA Finals.
His explosive rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” is becoming as much a part of the MSG experience as a Mikal Bridges 3-pointer or OG Anunoby defensive stop.
And for good reason.
“They refer to me as a lucky guy,” Wilson told the Daily News.
That’s because the Knicks are 6-0 in the playoffs when Wilson sings the national anthem.
The only game Wilson missed? This would be the only home game the Knicks lost.
“People were like, ‘We need you,'” Wilson said, laughing. “Especially some of the backstage crew that I deal with all the time, they’re like, ‘Every time. Every time.’ And I’m like, ‘You might be on to something.’
Wilson’s magical journey began on April 18 with the Knicks’ first-round opener against the Atlanta Hawks.
When he performed that night, Wilson expected it to be a solo performance. Unlike co-tenants the Rangers – who enlist John Brancy as their nightly anthem singer – the Knicks have always rotated performers for pregame performances.
But, as Wilson explains, his presentation appealed so much to MSG Sports chief operating officer Jamal Lesen that he was immediately invited back.
“He closed his eyes and got emotional listening to my song,” Wilson said.
“When he heard me singing it (at that time), it felt different. He was like, ‘This is it.'”
Wilson was unable to perform before Game 2 of the Hawks series due to a prior scheduling conflict, and the Knicks lost that night.
But Wilson hasn’t missed a home game since, and the Knicks haven’t lost a home game since.
It’s a streak the Knicks – and Wilson – will look to continue on Monday night in Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.
“Now I’m realizing how much adrenaline and energy comes from the crowd when you’re at a game and what their role is actually on the field,” Wilson said. “When I sing, there’s an energy and people screaming release all these endorphins.”
Performing for live audiences is nothing new for Wilson, a native of New Haven, Conn., who now lives in New York.
He starred as the Scarecrow in the Broadway revival of “The Wiz”, a performance for which he earned a 2024 Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album.
Wilson, an alumnus of NBC’s “The Voice,” has a series of concerts scheduled in New York and beyond this summer.
But singing the national anthem in front of a packed Garden crowd is a completely different experience for Wilson, who is delighted that the audience got to hear his soulful take on the age-old song.
Wilson said, “It’s an incredible feeling to know that there are so many crazy, roaring fans sitting there and watching you, and really, they don’t have to invest that much time.”
“I mean, I’ve seen it half the time (when) everyone goes to the bathroom. Like, no one has to be locked in. So the fact that they are, it shows me how special that moment really is.”
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