The 7-foot big man, Meyers Leonard is back in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks after being suspended indefinitely. The former Miami Heat player faced serious repercussions, after his anti-semitic slur during a video game live stream. Leonard will be back on the big stage after 2 years since this incident occurred. However, the Bucks are bringing on board a player that has been absent from the hardwood for 2 years.
Recent incidents indicate, that the NBA took strong measures against Leonard after his anti-semitic slurs. Kyrie Irving has been the other player in the league to be spreading anti-semitic content on Twitter. Irving didn’t face the same suspension for an indefinite period but has incurred serious losses. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Bucks have been monitoring Leonard’s progress and have signed him for a 10-day contract.
ESPN Sources: Free agent F/C Meyers Leonard — out of the NBA since March 2021 after uttering an antisemitic slur on a video game livestream and rehabbing post-surgical nerve damage on his right leg — is signing a 10-day contract with the Milwaukee Bucks. pic.twitter.com/sDxBJm9CPG
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 20, 2023
The Bucks acquired Leonard to fill in the gap left by Serge Ibaka during the trade. As Giannis Antetokounmpo is nursing his wrist, after he picked up an injury before the All-Star weekend, Leonard will provide an immediate backup and size. This move from the Milwaukee Bucks looks like an emergency signing, as they lack size on the front court after Giannis will be missing some games.
Meyers Leonard faced suspension and a $50K fine for his anti-Semitic slur
Meyers Leonard back in March 2021, indulged in playing “Call of Duty”. He was live-streaming the game when he used the word “Kike” in his live stream. “F***ing coward,” Leonard said on the live stream. “Don’t f***king snipe me, you f***king k**e b***h.” For reference, the word ‘Kike’ is a derogatory term used for a Jewish person. The NBA suspended him for 10 days and issued a fine of $50,000 for his anti-semitic slur.
This led him to lose various sponsorship and endorsement deals, and even the Heat traded him away to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder on the other hand ended up dropping him completely and has ever since been without a team.
Heat’s Meyers Leonard has been fined $50,000 and suspended from all Heat facilities and team activities for one week for an anti-Semitic comment he made Monday.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 11, 2021
Nonetheless, Leonard apologized later that evening after his anti-semitic slurs in his live stream. “I felt like I had just destroyed my life and everything that I worked for, to be honest… People had every right to, I suppose, make assumptions about me. People were going to have to, in the media, comment on this. And I understand, I do.” Said, Leonard.
Since the incident, Leonard has taken considerable time off and indulged in understanding the impact of his comments. He met with multiple Jewish communities and participated in programs to learn about it and promote this knowledge.