Sebastien De La Cruz Anthem Video: 11 Year Old Mexican-American Sings National Anthem At NBA Finals, Sparking Flurry of Racism

Mexican-American Sebastien de La Cruz came back to sing the National Anthem in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, one game after a racist backlash to his rendition for when he filled in for a late Darius Rucker at Game 3.

Sebastien gave a charming rendition of the tune Tuesday night, dressed in a full Mariachi outfit of San Antonio black and silver. Though he faced tremendous applause, Twitter users abused the boy, with some saying things like "Why do they have this illegal immigrant singing the national anthem?" and "I'm highly upset that THIS kid is singing the national anthem. Clearly from Mexico...".

De La Cruz is American citizen, and the son of an American war veteran. Responding to criticism, the precocious young singer wrote, "Please do not pay attention to the negative people. I am an American living the American Dream. This is part of the American life."

It makes sense that he'd handle himself with such poise, given his real background. Sebastian de la Cruz is a trained professional singer, first appearing in America's Got Talent. In Season 7, de La Cruz was eliminated in week 4, but was called back as a wild card. He performed a stunning rendition of the Frank Sinatra standard "New York, New York" and advanced, before finally being eliminated in the semi-final round.

"I think the people were talking bad because of what I was wearing, and it's not my fault," he told a local ABC News station. "It's what I love, and I'm just proud to be a mariachi singer. It's their opinion, actually, and if they don't like mariachi, that's their problem. But I love it."

According to the 2010 Census, 1,327,407 people resided in the city proper of San Antonio. 63.2% of the city's population was of Hispanic or Latino origin.