Meyers Leonard, who was suspended in March 2021 after utilizing an antisemitic slur throughout a online game livestream, has reportedly signed a 10-day contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Leonard hasn’t performed within the NBA since January 2021 as a consequence of his suspension and accidents that occurred proper after being traded away by the Miami Warmth following the incident, solely to be launched by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Leonard spoke on ESPN’s “Exterior the Traces” at size about his regret for utilizing the antisemitic slur.
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Meyers Leonard #0 of the Miami Warmth fouls Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans throughout the second quarter at American Airways Enviornment on December 25, 2020 in Miami. (Michael Reaves/Getty Photographs)
“I really feel like I’m dwelling in a nasty dream,” Leonard defined. “… And I do know that I made an enormous, big mistake.”
Whereas admitting “there’s lower than very best language used” in video gaming, Leonard didn’t make any excuses.
On the time, Leonard had greater than 69,000 followers on his Twitch account and greater than 550,000 between Twitter and Instagram when he was utilizing the slur amongst different expletives whereas taking part in a online game.
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“F—ing cowards. Don’t f—ing snipe me. You f—ing k— b—-,” Leonard stated throughout the stream.
“There are completely no excuses for what occurred that day,” he stated through ESPN. “And ignorance, sadly, is a really actual factor. … I’m not operating from this, however I didn’t know that it occurred.”
Leonard was proactive to “present folks what’s in your coronary heart,” visiting with rabbis in South Florida for counseling in addition to members of the Jewish neighborhood to coach himself, stated an NBA spokesman.
Antisemitism grew to become a sizzling subject when now-Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving was suspended by his then-team, the Brooklyn Nets, final fall after tweeting and posting to Instagram an Amazon hyperlink to a 2018 movie that contained antisemitic disinformation.
Meyers Leonard is seen on August 13, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (JOCE/Bauer-Griffin/GC Photographs)
Leonard was requested about that scenario throughout his ESPN interview.
“I can solely communicate for myself, and what I might say is that antisemitism could be very actual and extra folks do should be educated and perceive every thing.”
Leonard needed to subject an apology on Instagram on the time of the incident, however he was later suspended one week and fined $50,000 by the league. He was with the Warmth for 2 seasons at that time, however they traded him to OKC and was rendered a free agent after the discharge.
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Leonard then underwent ankle surgical procedure in April 2021, which ended up inflicting nerve injury. He additionally handled shoulder and ankle surgical procedures over the previous two seasons, which has performed a consider not taking part in within the NBA.
He lately had a exercise with the Los Angeles Lakers however is making an attempt his luck with the Bucks, who’ve the prospect to signal him after the ten days are up.
If he performs for Milwaukee, Leonard stated he’s a bit uneasy about what others would possibly say when he will get again into the sport.
“I’ll be somewhat terrified of what somebody would possibly say to me, what a fan would possibly say,” he stated. “However I all the time come again to this: Don’t surrender. If you happen to’re a very good individual and you’re employed exhausting, issues are going to work out in life.”
Meyers Leonard #0 of the Miami Warmth warms up earlier than the sport towards the Washington Wizards at Capital One Enviornment on January 9, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Photographs)
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Leonard has averaged 5.6 factors, 3.9 rebounds and 16 minutes per sport over his profession to this point. The Portland Path Blazers took him with the eleventh general decide within the 2012 NBA Draft out of Illinois.
