Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade stirred up the biggest pot of controversy possible Saturday against the Toronto Raptors.
Before going on to score a game-high 38 points in a 95-91 loss, Wade could be seen shooting jumpers and dunking the ball during the singing of “O Canada,” the Canadian national anthem:
Most seemed to immediately take it as a blatant act of disrespect.
Wade, however, explained that a double down on national anthems threw off the timing of his normal pre-game routine and that he’d work with the Heat to make sure it doesn’t happen again. ESPN.com’s Michael Wallace expanded on the situation:
It’s something that I do before every game that I prepare for, and I’ve been doing it my whole career. 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.
In that same article, the league also noted it will take the same sort of precautions, meaning it doesn’t sound like a punishment is on the way.
As one could probably expect, the globe didn’t care much for the reasoning, including Toronto mayor John Tory and councillor Norm Kelly:
Hey @DwyaneWade a Canadian invented the game. Respect the anthem. #WeTheNorth #RTZ
— John Tory (@JohnTory) May 8, 2016
There should be no music played in the @AirCanadaCentre when @MiamiHEAT is back in Toronto. Just the national anthem. The whole game.
— Norm Kelly (@norm) May 8, 2016
Many others weighed in, with some notables below:
Dwayne Wade won’t stop shooting warm ups during Canadian anthem today. Reverse that situation and US would be declaring war on Canada
— Jeff Hall (@JeffHall87) May 8, 2016
Wade’s explanation of his action during the Canadian anthem (explanation, not apology) make the guy look even worse. Clueless @DwyaneWade
— Darryl M. (@SKBigBluJetsfan) May 8, 2016
Dwyane Wade’s behavior Saturday during the Canadian anthem was a disgrace.
— John Feinstein (@JFeinsteinBooks) May 8, 2016
It’s not hard to see why there’s outrage given how many times Wade has suited up in Canada to play over the course of his lengthy career. An odd, third-person riddled explanation didn’t help calm the storm, clearly.
The Heat and Raptors meet again Monday night as Wade and Co. attempt to dig themselves out of a 2-1 hole. It’s in Miami, but rest assured all eyes should be on Wade and his interaction with anyone and everyone—and when.