Water Damage Restoration in Portland, OR

PORTLAND, Ore. — When Maurice Cheeks was coach of the Trail Blazers, he had a wonderful approach to dealing with stress, chaos and/or conflict that often intersects with life in the NBA.

“It’s just a moment,” he would say. “It will pass.”

But sometimes, moments don’t just pass. Sometimes, moments live on and help shape a life.

Just ask Natalie Zito (neé: Gilbert).

On Wednesday night in Portland, she was back in the building that changed her life, performing a stunning rendition of the national anthem, the same song that threatened to haunt her had it not been for Cheeks.

“I feel like it was yesterday that we were in this moment,” Zito said.

It was 22 years ago, 20 seconds deep into the National Anthem, when then-13-year-old Natalie Gilbert forgot the words. If her brain freeze wasn’t bad enough, it felt like the entire world was watching and waiting for the silence to end. It was before Game 3 of the playoff series between Portland and Dallas. In front of 20,000 fans. And a national television audience.

“That moment where I was standing there looking around, that felt like forever,” Zito remembered. “But then … he was just like there. Like, the second I turned over my shoulder, he was right there and he was like, ‘No, we’re not gonna do this … you’re gonna finish this song.’ ”

It became one of the most memorable and viral moments in national anthem history — Cheeks coaching her through the lyrics, one arm around her shoulder, the other conducting the sellout crowd to join in. She finished to a rousing ovation and melted into Cheeks’ chest.

“That’s a hard time in a young child’s life, where something like that happens on national television,” Zito said. “That moment really stuck with me.”

On Wednesday, the moment came full circle. With Cheeks on the sideline as an assistant coach with the New York Knicks, Zito stood at half court and belted out “The Star-Spangled Banner.” There were no hiccups, no pauses, just full-throated perfection.

“I’d give it a solid nine,” Zito said.

Near the end of her rendition, the video board flashed to Cheeks, who was smiling from ear to ear, proud as he was that day 22 years ago.

For Zito, Wednesday wasn’t so much closure as it was a celebration of that moment 22 years ago. It was, as Cheeks likes to say, just a moment. But it was a moment that she believes helped define her.

“It made me a much stronger individual,” Zito said. “I can face adversity or anything that’s coming at me. I just push through now, because that’s probably the worst thing that can happen to you when you are 13 and in middle school.”

Even as she became a national story, appearing on national talk shows, she said she was hazed first at Waluga Middle School in Lake Oswego and later at West Linn High. She said she was “picked on” and when she walked down the halls, students whispered. She would seek comfort at lunch by eating in the privacy of a bathroom stall.

“Awful, right? The kids were brutal … brutal … all the way through high school,” she said. “But I feel like it really made me a stronger person, so I wouldn’t change a thing.”

After high school, she moved to Southern California and took voice lessons. She became a professional performer at the McCallum Theater in Palm Desert and also sang at weddings, birthdays and corporate events. Later, she moved to San Francisco and met her future husband, Michael.

Now, she is a vice president for Environmentally Conscious Recycling (ECR), and although she lives in Boise, Idaho, she visits the Portland ECR offices often. Coincidentally, ECR this season became a sponsor with the Blazers, and she told the team about her past, back when her last name was Gilbert.

She found out a month ago that she would sing on Wednesday, with Cheeks in attendance. Then, as a surprise, she got to meet him pregame. A photograph was taken of the two, and by the first quarter, she had a copy in hand.

“I owe a lot to this man,” she said, showing the photo. “He’s a really stand-up human being. He was like, ‘How long has it been? How are you? How is life? Is this your family? It was so great to see him all these years later, and he’s still just like a great, personable man.”

The Knicks would not allow Cheeks to speak, per team policy.

On Wednesday, her two daughters, ages six and seven, were at the Moda Center to see her perform the anthem. They had seen the video of mom, when she was 13, being rescued and coached through the most trying of moments. Now, they have a better version to remember.

“It’s the best example I can show my children,” Zito said. “That, hey, it’s OK to make mistakes. It’s all about how you recover from them.”

(Photo of Natalie Zito: Bruce Ely / Portland Trail Blazers)

Jason Quick is a senior writer for The Athletic. Based in Portland, he writes about personalties and trends of the NBA, with a focus on human connections. He has been named Oregon sportswriter of the year four times and has won awards from APSE, SPJ, and Pro Basketball Writers Association. Follow Jason on Twitter @jwquick

The Portland metro area could see snow flurries or up to three inches of snow Thursday morning. There could be more snow or freezing rain Friday morning.

PORTLAND, Ore. — KGW has called Weather Impact Alert days each morning this week for freezing temperatures, and Thursday and Friday due to the threat of snow or freezing rain for parts of the Willamette Valley, including the Portland metro area.

See the latest forecast from KGW

Temperatures overnight and into the morning hours will be in the 20s around the valley this week. Anyone spending an extended period of time outside will want to dress for cold weather.

The Portland metro area could see snow flurries or up to three inches of snow Thursday morning before it tapers off in the afternoon. Temperatures will rise a few degrees above freezing during the day, but will fall back below 32 degrees Thursday night. That would cause any snow and ice that fell to either stay frozen or re-freeze. It's likely that snowfall will transition to freezing rain Thursday night, as the next band of precipitation moves in.

The last round of precipitation will arrive as freezing rain or snow Friday morning. The afternoon could see some clearing.

Temperatures are expected to stay below freezing Saturday morning, and anything remaining on the ground will melt in the afternoon as a warmer weather system moves in. Saturday afternoon will be above freezing.

Thursday late morning and Friday morning of this week for parts of the Willamette Valley for possible sticking snow and/or freezing rain.

Potential for accumulating snow and/or freezing rain in the Portland metro area on Thursday and Friday. Roads could be slick and/or icy. The winter weather could cause school closures or delays.

Before Thursday, monitor forecasts for the latest details. If snow sticks and accumulates, or there's ice on the roads, the streets will be slick. Drivers should stay off the roads or use extra caution if they have to travel.

It’s our goal to make sure you have the most accurate and up-to-date information about the weather and its impact on you. The new KGW Weather Impact Alerts will be just that, alerts as far in advance as possible, so that you can be armed with accurate information to keep yourself and your family safe.

RELATED: KGW launches Weather Impact Alert Days