Why do they sing the Canadian national anthem at the NBA All-Star Game? All you need to know

The 2024 NBA All-Star Game had two national anthems prior to tipoff. Babyface performed the US national anthem, while Charlotte Cardin performed the national anthem for Canada.

Last year, Jully Black, who is an Ontario native, performed the Canadian National anthem. She's been active in the music industry for almost three decades. She sang the Canadian national anthem shortly after LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo finished picking players for their respective teams.

Black is a 45-year-old singer who's also known as Canada's Queen of R&B. If you've ever wondered why a Canadian anthem is performed at the All-Star Game, this article will answer the question.

Meanwhile, Cardin is a Canadian pop, electro and jazz singer. She hails from Montreal. Cardin has been active since 2013.

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Why the Canadian national anthem was performed at the 2024 NBA All-Star Game

The 2024 NBA All-Star Game is returned to the traditional West vs. East format, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James as captains again.

The NBA had two incredible artists perform the national anthems of the United States and Canada. As many basketball fans are already aware, the Toronto Raptors are the only NBA team from Canada.

The Raptors were founded in 1995 and have had several great seasons in the league, including the 2019 NBA championship. The NBA had another Canadian team, the Vancouver Grizzlies, but it was relocated to Memphis in 2001.

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The NBA will most likely expand in the future. However, it is very unlikely that another team will be located in Canada. The Raptors had to deal with a lot of issues during the coronavirus pandemic, which is what made things much harder for them.

The Raptors won the NBA championship in 2019 (Image via Getty Images)

The Raptors beat the heavily-favored Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals to win their first-ever championship. By beating the Dubs, the Raptors became the only NBA team from Canada to win it all.

Pascal Siakam is the only Raptors player participating in the 2023 NBA All-Star Game. He was selected by Giannis Antetokounmpo as the fifth pick among the reserves.