Chicago Bulls' Dwyane Wade fined for throat-slash gesture, issues apology

Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade was fined $25,000 by the NBA for making a throat-slash gesture at the end of Thursday night's season-opening win over the Boston Celtics.

Wade made the gesture with his right hand after making a game-clinching 3-pointer with 26.3 seconds left that gave the Bulls the lead.

"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," Wade wrote on Twitter.

Wade scored 22 points with six rebounds and five assists in his Chicago debut as the Bulls won their opener, beating the Celtics 105-99.

After hitting the 3-pointer to put Chicago up by five points, Wade celebrated by jumping around as the crowd roared.

"To be able to make a shot like that and helps us get this win, it's like the perfect storm," Wade said after the game.

"When I released it, I'm not going to say I knew it was going in, because anything could happen, but I felt very good about the shot, and there was just a lot of emotion running through me. I had an out-of-body experience after that."

The 34-year-old Wade did not talk to reporters after Friday's practice.

Wade, signed by the Bulls over the summer to two-year deal worth about $47 million in a move that stunned the Miami Heat, has spoken out multiple times about wanting to cut down on the violence in his hometown.

Wade played 13 seasons in Miami, scoring more than 20,000 points and getting selected to 12 All-Star teams.

Golden State Warriors star forward Kevin Durant was fined $25,000 by the NBA in April 2013 for a throat-slash gesture when he was with the Oklahoma City Thunder.