Who is Kinsley Murray? Viral 8-year-old girl singing national anthem ahead of big college basketball game
The nation is mesmerized by the performance of Star Spangled Banner by 8-year-old Kinsley Murray. Murray performed the national anthem during the Monday, February 26th game between the Indiana Pacers and the Toronto Raptors. She also sang the national anthem of Canada O Canada.
Kinsley Murray was wearing an iconic and patriotic outfit, inspired by the United States flag with the 50 stars representing the states of the Union. She also performed on Saturday during Duke's clash with Virginia, an ACC men's college basketball game.
Her initial performance with the Indiana Pacers was posted to the team's TikTok account and accrued 16 million views in a few days.
Kinsley Murray's first Star Spangled Banner performance
This isn't the first time Murray has gone viral for her national anthem's performances. In November 2021, at the tender age of six years old, she performed the Star Spangled Banner for a game of the Gonzaga Bulldogs women's college basketball.
At the time, she spoke with the Spokesman-Review and said:
“The experience was absolutely amazing, I loved the big roar that I heard when I was done. The roar makes me get better and better.”
Duke beats Virginia: The Blue Devils remain at No. 10
After Kinsley Murray's national anthem performance, the Blue Devils defeated the Virginia Cavaliers handily 73-48. This cemented the position of the Blue Devils as the No. 10 team in the nation.
They remain second in the ACC standings, behind the North Carolina Tar Heels by just one game. Virginia had the chance to close the gap with Duke, as they stand third behind the Durham school, but were unable to do so.
20-year-old center Kyle Filipowski was the top scorer for Duke, with 21 points scored alongside two assists and seven rebounds. Guard Tyrese Proctor also had a good performance, with 15 points, five assists, and four rebounds.