Dwyane Wade made his debut with his hometown Bulls on Thursday night, and he did not disappoint. He finished with 22 points, six rebounds, and five assists, but more importantly, he sank a key three-pointer with under a minute remaining to help seal the 105-99 victory for Chicago.
Unfortunately, he got a little too hyped after that play and made a throat-slash gesture, which the NBA has previously deemed “menacing” and levied similar fines against offenders. The league announced on Friday that they were fining him $25,000 for the incident, an outcome that Wade not only anticipated but preemptively apologized for via Twitter.
I wanna apologize to my young fans on my gesture at the end of last nights game. I was caught up in the emotions of my first game at home.
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) October 28, 2016
The NBA has long frowned on that particular gesture. Then-commissioner David Stern set the precedent back in 2008 when he fined Paul Pierce $25,000 for doing the same. Kevin Durant was likewise fined the same amount for replicating that motion in 2013.
For Wade, it distracted from what was otherwise a promising debut with the Bulls. Never known as a three-point specialist, the Chicago native shot 4-of-6 from downtown, offering a glimmer of hope for a team that is sorely bereft of outside shooting. Wade and the Bulls play the second of their two-game home stand against the Pacers on Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET.
(h/t CBS Sports)
