Miami Heat Hold a Moment of Silence for School Shooting Victims (VIDEO)


A moment of silence was observed prior to the Washington Wizards/Miami Heat game last night. Some Heat players brought out their own children, in tribute to those who were slain in the horrific mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. More from the Sun-Sentinel: “The first thing LeBron James did when he arrived home Friday was hug his two children. It was his way of being appreciative following the tragic shooting in Connecticut that left 26 dead, including 20 children. ‘I couldn’t imagine sending them off to school and them not returning,’ James said after Saturday’s shootaround. ‘I think it’s very unfortunate. It’s a tragic loss for all those families. It’s not much you can really say besides just being sincere about it and heartfelt about it.’ […] Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said the team spoke of the tragedy before Saturday’s practice. Spoelstra, who began his press conference by saying ‘our thoughts are prayers with families and the community,’ said he noticed the concern on players’ faces before taking the court. ‘I don’t think it would have been genuine if we didn’t talk about it, if we just brushed it aside and said, `Ok, let’s just go to work,’ Spoelstra said. ‘It’s something that’s affected everybody around the world. It affected our guys in the locker room. We talked about it and moved on the best that we could to try to prepare (Saturday).’ […] ‘Being a father, it hit a lot of us,’ Dwyane Wade said. ‘I think we all just responded to the tragedy. You think about the other families that are going through this tragic time, and it’s saddening. Your heart is saddened. It’s tough. On one end, you’re so happy when you get a chance to hug and see your kids. But you feel sad for the families that can’t do that ever again.’ […] The player most affected may have been guard Ray Allen. He used to live about 45 minutes from the city where the shooting occurred. James said Allen, who does not do interviews after shootaround, sounded shaken when they talked about it. ‘It definitely hit home with him,’ James said. ‘How easily could his kids maybe been at that school or been playing with those kids. You never know. It’s crazy.'”