Sebastien de la Cruz, an 11-year-old American boy of Mexican heritage ignited a slew of racism when he sang the national anthem before Game 3 of the NBA Finals. The young boy, dressed in a black and gray mariachi outfit, honoring both his upbringing as well as the color scheme of the hometown Spurs, sparked tweets of a racist nature thanks to his striking appearance.
Click here for screen captions of the racist tweets.
These are some examples of the vitriol spewed at de la Cruz: "This kid is Mexican why is he singing the national anthem #yournotamerican #gohome," wrote a Twitter user going by the handle @Gordon_Bombay24.
De la Cruz was invited back by the Spurs for Game 4, however, much to the shock and exhilaration of the upstart singer. I was overjoyed," de la Cruz said. "I was super-happy. I actually started to shake." Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich commended the boy saying, "He's a class act. He makes you feel that the future can be very bright."
On Good Morning America de la Cruz was asked about how he felt when so many people posted their racist and intolerant comments online. "All I was thinking about was why would people talk like that about me," he said. "To the people that do have hatred in their hearts, I just want to tell them that they should think before they say things."
He stood tall before Game 4, clad in the controversial mariachi getup once more, and this time he was introduced to the crowd by San Antonio's Hispanic mayor, Julian Castro. Both de la Cruz and Castro are San Antonio natives.
Unfortunately for the Spurs, although de la Cruz proved to be inspirational in the face of cruelty, he was not a good luck charm for the Spurs. San Antonio dropped Game 4, and allowed LeBron James and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat to each eclipse the 30-point mark.
Sebastien de la Cruz, an 11-year-old American boy of Mexican heritage ignited a slew of racism when he sang the national anthem before Game 3 of the NBA Finals. The young boy, dressed in a black and gray mariachi outfit, honoring both his upbringing as well as the color scheme of the hometown Spurs, sparked tweets of a racist nature thanks to his striking appearance.
These are some examples of the vitriol spewed at de la Cruz: "This kid is Mexican why is he singing the national anthem #yournotamerican #gohome," wrote a Twitter user going by the handle @Gordon_Bombay24.
De la Cruz was invited back by the Spurs for Game 4, however, much to the shock and exhilaration of the upstart singer. I was overjoyed," de la Cruz said. "I was super-happy. I actually started to shake." Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich commended the boy saying, "He's a class act. He makes you feel that the future can be very bright."
On Good Morning America de la Cruz was asked about how he felt when so many people posted their racist and intolerant comments online. "All I was thinking about was why would people talk like that about me," he said. "To the people that do have hatred in their hearts, I just want to tell them that they should think before they say things."
He stood tall before Game 4, clad in the controversial mariachi getup once more, and this time he was introduced to the crowd by San Antonio's Hispanic mayor, Julian Castro. Both de la Cruz and Castro are San Antonio natives.
Unfortunately for the Spurs, although de la Cruz proved to be inspirational in the face of cruelty, he was not a good luck charm for the Spurs. San Antonio dropped Game 4, and allowed LeBron James and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat to each eclipse the 30-point mark.
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