Kings national anthem singer takes knee during performance

The national anthem singer at the Sacramento Kings’ preseason game on Monday chose to take a knee while performing the song.

The national anthem singer at the Sacramento Kings’ preseason game on Monday chose to take a knee while performing the song.

Ahead of the Kings’ friendly against Israeli League team Maccabi Haifa, singer Leah Tysse went down to one knee during the final lines of the anthem in apparent solidarity with the ongoing protests of racial inequality and police brutality taking place across sports. 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began the wave of protests during the NFL preseason by kneeling during the anthem.

The Kings’ game was the first ever at the new Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

Woman singing national anthem at @SacramentoKings games takes a knee while singing "Land of the free and the home of the brave." @kcranews pic.twitter.com/ddaUjZO521

— Dana Griffin (@DanaGriffinNBC) October 11, 2016

The NBA’s rules require players to stand during the national anthem, but the league and Players Association announced recently that they plan to work together to figure out how to best allow players to express themselves during the song.