Anthony Hamilton says the NBA wanted a pre-screening of his All-Star game National Anthem performance — most likely to avoid another Fergie-ish disaster.

Anthony came on “TMZ Live” to break down the reasons why he sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” the way he did — which got rave reviews Sunday night ahead of the tip-off. AH says Colin Kaepernick actually played a role in how he arranged it.

Check out his explanation … it’s interesting, especially now that Kap has settled with the NFL.

We also asked him about the elephant in the room — his predecessor’s widely mocked version from last year. He says the league had some specific guidelines, including getting a preview of his rehearsals for the gig.

Turns out the NBA’s got good taste in music … because Anthony won over the crowd in Charlotte — his hometown, BTW — and also everyone watching at home … based on the immediate reaction on social media.

As for Fergie — turns out she was watching too. She’s clearly over the shell shock of her All-Star performance, and actually reached out to Anthony with some words of encouragement. 

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