Heckler yells ‘leave Greenland alone!’ during US national anthem at NBA game in London

By Canadian Press on January 18, 2026.

LONDON (AP) — A heckler yelled “leave Greenland alone!” while Vanessa Williams sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” before tipoff of an NBA game in London between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Orlando Magic on Sunday.

U.S. President Donald Trump has insisted that the U.S. should control Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark, and said earlier this week that anything less than the Arctic island being in U.S. hands would be “unacceptable.”

The heckler’s outburst drew some scattered laughter and applause. Williams was unfazed and completed the song.

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The Associated Press