May 09--Dwyane Wade tried sticking to his usual pregame routine Saturday and ended up seemingly angering an entire country.
Fan video shows the Miami Heat star taking several warmup shots during the singing of the Canadian national anthem Saturday before his team's first home game in its NBA playoff series against the Toronto Raptors.
Social media users, largely from Canada, heaped criticism on Wade, with Toronto Mayor John Tory and Councillor Norm Kelly getting in on the action.
Wade normally takes his warmup shots right up until -- and then after -- the singing of the national anthem but said he was thrown off when the music started early because both countries' anthems needed to be played.
"It's something that I do before every game that I prepare for, and I've been doing it my whole career," Wade told reporters Sunday after practice. "So I understand whatever is said from that standpoint, but I'm not a disrespectful person. So if anybody thinks I'm being disrespectful towards a country, then they have no idea of who Dwyane Wade is."
According to the NBA rulebook, "players, coaches and trainers are to stand and line up in a dignified posture along the sidelines or on the foul line during the playing of the National Anthem."
NBA spokesman Tim Frank said in a statement, "We spoke to the team, and the Heat will work with its players to make sure no pregame routines interfere with either anthem going forward."
Wade also said he'd adjust his pregame routine before Game 4 Monday.
"It was no disrespect from myself," he said. "And if anybody feels like it was, please don't fill up my timeline with disrespectful comments because that's not this guy right here. Find somebody else for that."
Wade scored 38 points on Saturday, but Toronto beat Miami, 95-91, to take a 2-1 series lead.
