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Check out the latest buzz below.
Waiters Denies Praying Before Games
Dion Waiters has been one of the most-talked about Cavs players, especially after a report that claimed he missed the National Anthem due to religious reasons stemming from being a Muslim.
He missed the anthem on the same day he was demoted out of the starting lineup.
But Waiters later slammed the story, leading to a clarification from reporter Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group.
“On Friday, Dion informed me of his Muslim faith and said that was the reason he missed Wednesday’s national anthem. ‘It’s because of my religion,’ Waiters said. ‘That’s why I stayed in the locker room,’” Haynes wrote.
“I never recalled Dion missing a national anthem performance before, but he did mention he is rededicating himself to his religion. I then asked if he planned to continue this pre-game ritual the remainder of the season, and he replied, ‘Yes, I do.’ Thus, the story was born. Dion and I had a long conversation on Saturday and we came to the realization that we were thinking two different things.
“When I asked if he planned to continue his pregame ritual, I meant did he plan on skipping the national anthem from here on out. He said he was under the impression that I was asking if he would continue his prayer and meditation before games.”
But Waiters later told reporters that his pregame ritual, which involves going back to the locker room area with between five and seven minutes left on the pregame horn, has nothing to do with religion.
“I’m not praying. I’m just going through my routine,” he said, per a transcript. “Nothing to do with religion when I go back there. At all.”
Waiters also said he’s comfortable being the sixth man.
“Nah, I knew it was going to happen sooner or later. I was actually thinking about it myself, is it better for the team? I went to Coach and told him it might just be better for me to come off the bench, by myself. At the end of the day I’m still growing, still learning, especially with this team, this offense and the time we’ve had.” he said.
“And being the player I am, you need the ball. So I thought about it and it made a lot of sense just for me to come off the bench and do what I do. That’s why it was smooth sailing for me just to come off the bench and bring that spark. And we won that game. I can’t be mad at nothing.”
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