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96-year-old WWII veteran wows audience with harmonica rendition of the National Anthem

Posted at 6:34 PM, Nov 11, 2019
and last updated 2019-11-11 18:34:10-05

World War II veteran Pete Dupre, 96, plays the national anthem on his harmonica before an NBA basketball game between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, at Madison Square Garden in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

The Cleveland Cavaliers dispatched the New York Knicks 108-87 last night. But the best performance of the night may have come before the game even started.

Pete DuPré, a 96-year-old World War II veteran, regaled the crowd with a rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” with his harmonica.

ESPN tweeted out a clip of him playing the national anthem, and the video has over 900,000 views.

Related: Senior singers at local retirement community salute soldiers on Veterans Day

DuPré is no stranger to the sports world. The World War II veteran has played the national anthem at a number of sports stadiums around the US — including at a U.S. women’s national soccer team exhibition game against Mexico in May.

He also played the national anthem prior to an Oakland Raiders-Minnesota Vikings game in September.