Meyers Leonard has found a new NBA home.
The Bucks announced on March 14 that they had signed the 31-year-old center to a contract for the rest of the season. Leonard had previously played for the Trail Blazers and Heat before sitting out the entire 2021-22 campaign.
While Leonard did need time to recover from multiple surgeries, an off-the-court incident also played a massive role in his two-year hiatus.
What did Meyers Leonard say?
On a March 2021 Twitch stream, Leonard was heard saying the K-word, a derogatory term used against Jewish people. Leonard, a member of the Heat at the time, was hosting a "Call of Duty: Warzone" stream when the clip surfaced on social media.
(For those unfamiliar with the word, The Baltimore Jewish Times has a breakdown of various anti-Semitic slurs and their origins.)
Miami released a statement saying that the team "vehemently condemns the use of any form of hate speech."
"The words used by Meyers Leonard were wrong and we will not tolerate hateful language from anyone associated with our franchise," the statement read. "To hear it from a Miami Heat player is especially disappointing and hurtful to all those who work here, as well as the larger South Florida, Miami Heat and NBA communities."
The league then announced Leonard had been fined $50,000 and suspended from all Heat facilities and team activities. He was also required to participate in a cultural diversity program.
"Meyers Leonard's comment was inexcusable and hurtful and such an offensive term has no place in the NBA or in our society," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. "Yesterday, he spoke to representatives of the Anti-Defamation League to better understand the impact of his words and we accept that he is genuinely remorseful.
"We have further communicated to Meyers that derogatory comments like this will not be tolerated and that he will be expected to uphold the core values of our league — equality, tolerance, inclusion and respect — at all times moving forward."
The Heat later traded Leonard and a 2027 second-round draft pick to the Thunder for wing Trevor Ariza. The Thunder announced that Leonard would "not be an active member of the organization" and eventually waived him.
Meyers Leonard's apology and next steps
Leonard issued an apology on Instagram hours after his comments came to light. That statement in full:
I am deeply sorry for using an anti-Semitic slur during a live stream yesterday. While I didn't know what the word meant at the time, my ignorance about its history and how offensive it is to the Jewish community is absolutely not an excuse and I was just wrong. I am now more aware of its meaning and I am committed to properly seeking out people who can help educate me about this type of hate and how we can fight it.
I acknowledge and own my mistake and there's no running from something like this that is so hurtful to someone else. This is not a proper representation of who I am and I want to apologize to the Arisons, my teammates, coaches, front office, and everyone associated with the Miami Heat organization, to my family, to our loyal fans and to others in the Jewish community who I have hurt. I promise to do better and know that my future actions will be more powerful than my use of this word.
As promised, he followed up that apology with actions. He has spent time meeting with Jewish leaders and organizations, connected with rabbis in South Florida and learned more about the history of Jewish culture and antisemitism.
"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," Leonard told ESPN's Jeremy Schaap. "People were going to have to, in the media, comment on this. And I understand, I do.
"I said, you better go handle this and show people what's in your heart."
Meyers Leonard's contract with Bucks
As he recovered from surgeries to his ankle and shoulder and atoned for what he said, Leonard continued to hold onto the hope that he would get another chance to play in the NBA. That opportunity presented itself two years after the infamous Twitch clip went viral.
Leonard reached an agreement on a 10-day contract with the Bucks on Feb. 22 before signing another 10-day deal on March 4. Milwaukee then decided to keep Leonard through the end of the regular season and NBA Playoffs, filling the team's final guaranteed roster spot.
"I feel like I've connected really well across the whole organization, from the players to the [physical training] staff, front office, even the fans," Leonard told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Jim Owczarski. "I always try to stop after every game in Milwaukee, sign every autograph, take pictures, because that's who I am.
"I texted [general manager] Jon [Horst]. I'm hoping to talk to [owner] Marc [Lasry] at some point at length, or a little bit more intimately I guess, to say thank you. They changed my life. They really did. This is going to be hard for me not to get emotional right now. It's honestly hard to describe what this feeling feels like."
Meyers Leonard career stats
- 5.6 points per game
- 3.9 rebounds per game
- 0.9 assists per game
- 15.9 minutes per game
- 48.2 percent shooting
- 39.1 percent 3-point shooting
- 81.1 percent free throw shooting
- 452 career games
- 93 career starts
