Dwyane Wade is sorry - sort of - for saying that a few losses by the superstar laden Miami Heat would be regarded like the 9/11 terror attacks.
The star guard, whose team has just been bolstered by the additions of LeBron James and Chris Bosh, was apparently trying to make the point that fans might have unreal expectations.
"There's going to be times when we might lose one, two games in a row, maybe two games, three games in a row, you never know," he told reporters while standing at his locker. "It's going to seem like the world is crashed down. You all are going to make it seem like the World Trade has just went down again. But it's not going to be nothing but a couple basketball games lost and we'll have to get back on track."
Somone close to Wade likely advised him that the comment was in poor taste, and on Monday, before leaving on a flight to Los Angeles for an appearance on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno, Wade issued an apology through the Heat. The statement fell short of an all-out mea culpa.
"In an interview yesterday, I attempted to explain how some people may view the Miami Heat losing a few basketball games in a row during the upcoming season. It appears that my reference to the World Trade Center has been either inaccurately reported or taken completely out of context. I was simply trying to say that losing a few basketball games should not be compared to a real catastrophe.
"While it was certainly not my intention, I sincerely apologize to anyone who found my reference to the World Trade Center to be insensitive or offensive."
AOL Fanhouse initially reported the guard saying: "If we lose a couple in a row this season, it will be like the World Trade (Center) is coming down again."
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Hours later, AOL Fanhouse published a different version of the quote, citing a transcription error and an editor's note saying, "we deeply regret the error."
