By Raul Trey Lopez, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2026-05-08 17:14:25
4月19日，在霜银中心举行的圣安东尼奥马刺队与波特兰开拓者队季后赛首轮系列赛第一场比赛开始前，塞巴斯蒂安·德·拉·克鲁兹在演唱国歌。
在首次踏上NBA总决赛赛场的十多年后，塞巴斯蒂安·德·拉·克鲁兹 (Sebastian De La Cruz) 在马刺队的争冠征程中再次回到了季后赛的聚光灯下。他说，只不过这一次，这个时刻承载着完全不同的意义。
这位被称为“黄金查罗 (El Charro de Oro)”的24岁墨西哥流浪艺人歌手，在马刺对阵波特兰开拓者 (Portland Trail Blazers) 的首轮第一场比赛前演唱了国歌，随后在对阵明尼苏达森林狼 (Minnesota Timberwolves) 的第一场比赛前再次献唱，助力圣安东尼奥在阔别多年后重新迎来季后赛篮球。
德·拉·克鲁兹表示，他通常在演唱前不会感到紧张，但当听到现场播报他的名字时观众席爆发出的反响，瞬间让他情绪激动。
“现场气氛简直燃爆了，”他说，“我感受到了全场观众带来的分量感，但那是一种美好的方式。”
这几次演出安排得非常仓促。德·拉·克鲁兹透露，马刺队在首轮开赛前几天才联系他，询问他是否愿意在季后赛回归。就在同一天早些时候，他还在TikTok上发布了一段视频，回顾了他与马刺队的渊源，以及这支球队在他成长过程中的重要意义。
“老实说，这是我一直祈祷的事情，”他说。
对德·拉·克鲁兹来说，今年的季后赛征程也更具个人意义，因为他正处于人生新阶段。他已经结婚，育有一个年幼的儿子，且另一个孩子也即将出生。他的妻子观看了第一场演出，而他的儿子则在对阵森林狼的系列赛中出现在观众席上。
德·拉·克鲁兹表示，与儿时第一次为球队表演相比，在看台上看到自己的家人让这次体验变得完全不同。
“我想向他（我的儿子）展示，他的父亲为能上台表演而感到自豪，”他说。
从NBA总决赛的焦点到马刺季后赛的回归
对于马刺球迷来说，德·拉·克鲁兹的名字始终与2013年NBA总决赛紧密相连。当时年仅11岁的他在两场比赛中演唱了国歌。
那次表演引起了全国关注，但也引发了网上的种族歧视言论。德·拉·克鲁兹表示，他当时并不完全理解发生了什么。在圣安东尼奥东北部长大的他，此前从未真正接触过那种形式的种族主义。
4月19日，塞巴斯蒂安·德·拉·克鲁兹在霜银中心演唱国歌。
他的父母最终不得不向他解释发生了什么，以及为什么人们会感到愤怒。现在回想起来，德·拉·克鲁兹表示，他为自己年纪轻轻就能妥善处理这些关注而感到自豪，并相信这段经历最终变成了一件积极的事情。
他说，马刺球迷现在仍经常找他致谢，或告诉他他们还记得他的故事。在最近的一次季后赛亮相中，他甚至与马刺传奇球星肖恩·埃利奥特 (Sean Elliott) 进行了交流，后者告诉他，他为德·拉·克鲁兹能成为这样的榜样而感到自豪。
再次展望音乐之路
尽管马刺队的季后赛征程重新点燃了公众对德·拉·克鲁兹的兴趣，但他表示，重建自己的音乐事业并非易事。
在新冠疫情爆发前，音乐表演曾是他的全职工作。但当演出机会减少时，德·拉·克鲁兹表示，他不得不调整重心以养家糊口。他现在在Discount Tire担任副经理，同时利用业余时间继续追求音乐。
他说，这种转变帮助他成熟起来，并让他对工作和机遇有了不同的看法。
“年轻的时候，很多事情都是顺理成章地降临到我身上，”德·拉·克鲁兹说，“现在年纪大了，有了家庭，而且比以往任何时候都更想追求音乐，我确实看到了职业素养上的差异。”
他希望通过马刺队表演获得的重新曝光能再次为他打开大门——无论是通过音乐会、录音室录制，还是在圣安东尼奥周边的更多公开亮相。
“老实说，我的主要目标是像以前一样追求音乐，”他说，“我知道圣安东尼奥会支持我的。”
随着马刺队继续他们的季后赛征程，德·拉·克鲁兹表示，如果球队能在季后赛走得更远，他希望还能有一次演唱国歌的机会。
“我希望马刺队能打进NBA总决赛，”他说，“我真的非常希望并祈祷马刺队能再次邀请我回来。”
由生成式 AI 翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
点击查看原文：2013 NBA Finals' Sebastian De La Cruz returns to Spurs playoffs
2013 NBA Finals’ Sebastian De La Cruz returns to Spurs playoffs
Sebastien De La Cruz sings the national anthem before the start of Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoff series between the San Antonio Spurs and the Portland Trail Blazers at Frost Bank Center on April 19.
More than a decade after first stepping onto the court during the NBA Finals, Sebastian De La Cruz found himself back under the playoff spotlight during the Spurs’ run to the championship, only this time, he said, the moment carried a completely different meaning.
The 24-year-old mariachi singer, also known as “El Charro de Oro,” performed the national anthem before Game 1 of the Spurs’ first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers and again before Game 1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, helping welcome playoff basketball back to San Antonio after years away.
De La Cruz said he normally does not get nervous before singing, but hearing the reaction from the crowd when his name was announced immediately hit him emotionally.
“It was basically electric,” he said. “I felt the weight of the room, but in a beautiful way.”
The performances came together quickly. De La Cruz said the Spurs contacted him only days before the opener in the first round, asking if he would return for the postseason. Earlier that same day, he had posted a TikTok reflecting on his history with the Spurs and how much the organization had meant to him growing up.
“Honestly, it was something that I prayed for,” he said.
This year’s playoff run also felt more personal for De La Cruz because of where he is in life now. He is married, has a young son, and another child on the way. His wife attended the first performance, while his son was in the crowd during the Timberwolves series.
De La Cruz said seeing his family in the stands changed the experience entirely compared to when he first performed for the franchise as a child.
“I want to show him (my son) that his dad is proud of performing,” he said.
From NBA Finals spotlight to Spurs playoff return
For Spurs fans, De La Cruz remains closely tied to the 2013 NBA Finals, when he performed the national anthem at two games at just 11 years old.
The performance drew national attention and also sparked racist backlash online, something De La Cruz said he did not fully understand at the time. Growing up on San Antonio’s Northeast Side, he said he had not really been exposed to racism in that way before.
Sebastien De La Cruz sings the national anthem at Frost Bank Center on April 19.
His parents eventually had to explain what was happening and why people were upset. Looking back now, De La Cruz said he is proud of how he handled the attention at such a young age and believes the experience ultimately became something positive.
He said Spurs fans still regularly approach him to thank him or tell him they remember his story. During one recent playoff appearance, he even shared a conversation with Spurs legend Sean Elliott, who told him he was proud of the role model De La Cruz had become.
Looking ahead to music again
While the Spurs’ playoff run reignited public interest in De La Cruz, he said rebuilding his music career has not been easy.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, performing music had become his full-time job. But when opportunities slowed, De La Cruz said he had to shift priorities to support his growing family. He now works as an assistant manager at Discount Tire while continuing to pursue music on the side.
The transition, he said, helped him mature and gave him a different perspective on work and opportunity.
“A lot of things just kind of fell in my lap” when he was younger, De La Cruz said. “Now being older, having a family and wanting to pursue music more than anything now, I for sure see the difference in work ethic.”
He hopes the renewed exposure from the Spurs performances can help open doors again — whether through concerts, studio recordings or more public appearances around San Antonio.
“My main goal, honestly, is to pursue music how I did prior,” he said. “I know San Antonio has my back.”
As the Spurs continue their playoff run, De La Cruz said he hopes another anthem performance could still be ahead if the team makes a deeper postseason push.
“I hope the Spurs go to the NBA Finals,” he said. “I really do hope and pray the Spurs have me back again.”
By Raul Trey Lopez, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News