Meyers Leonard

Leonard last played NBA basketball in January of 2021.

Meyers Leonard has played for the Portland Trail Blazers and Miami Heat, but his last NBA game came in January 2021.

[ESPN first reported the signing](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35703015/meyers-leonard-signing-10-day-deal-bucks-sources-say). He has averaged 5.6 points and 3.9 rebounds and appeared in 28 playoff games with Portland. Teams have shown interest in him since then, but the Bucks are the first one to sign him. "There are absolutely no excuses for what happened that day," Leonard said to ESPN. While rehabbing an injury, he uttered an anti-Semitic slur during a livestream of a video game. If Giannis Antetokounmpo misses games due to his right wrist injury, Leonard can fit alongside Brook Lopez if

Leonard has not played in the NBA since saying an antisemitic slur on a video game livestream in 2021.

"Since his use of a derogatory and unacceptable term in 2021, Meyers Leonard has been held accountable and has dedicated considerable time and effort to understand the impact of his comment," Bass said. Shortly thereafter, he was traded to the [Oklahoma City Thunder](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/OKC/oklahoma-city-thunder/) along with a 2027 second-round pick in exchange for [Trevor Ariza](/nba/players/498272/trevor-ariza/). When news that Leonard was trying to play again first broke in January, NBA spokesman Mike Bass issued a statement: While Leonard's antisemitic comment was the driving force behind his unofficial suspension from the league, he has also dealt with numerous injuries. [Miami Heat](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/MIA/miami-heat/), was fined $50,000 and suspended from all team activities for a week. Leonard has not played in over two full years due to an antisemitism scandal and multiple injuries.

There's still a lot of basketball to play between now and then, and with Bobby Portis remaining sidelined with a knee injury and Giannis Antetokounmpo's ...

It seems, at least as far as the league is concerned, Meyers Leonard took on the effort of rehabilitating himself (and his image) and trying to fill in the gaps that he claims he was ignorant of. And Leonard does at least fit the description of a big center, at 7’0” and 260 lbs. [the list of available free agent centers](https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/current_free_agents) isn’t the most exciting, but do any of them come this sort of off-court business? According to Woj, the Bucks “wanted to bring in a big man with shooting ability and a playoff history.” Is Meyers Leonard really the best available fit for that description? “Since his use of a derogatory and unacceptable term in 2021, Meyers Leonard has been held accountable and has dedicated considerable time and effort to understand the impact of his comment,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass recently said. Let’s give as much credit as we can to what Leonard has done since his suspension, and minimize the harm as much as possible. Whether or not he’s been successful in the cleanup of said mess is not for me to say, but I can already admit that I’m not particularly interested in his return to the NBA court. Truth be told, he lost his livelihood as a consequence of his actions, which were to choose the words he shouted in frustration on a live stream. Well, Jon Horst found someone who can fill that seat; [according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35703015/meyers-leonard-signing-10-day-deal-bucks-sources-say), the Bucks are bringing in Meyers Leonard on a 10-day deal. The Bucks don’t have a problem with bringing in players coming off an extended layoff, [we know that much](https://www.brewhoop.com/2023/2/9/23593229/milwaukee-bucks-get-their-guy-reinforce-at-the-wing-nba-trade-deadline-2023). There’s still a lot of basketball to play between now and then, and with Bobby Portis remaining sidelined with a knee injury and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s availability unknown – he [sought additional evaluation on his wrist in New York City](https://twitter.com/TimBontemps/status/1627547273696780289?s=20) today – the Bucks have a thin front court. But while Jae Crowder held out for six months due to a falling out with the [Phoenix Suns](https://www.brightsideofthesun.com), Leonard has away from of NBA basketball for 25 months.

Meyers Leonard is getting another chance at the NBA, nearly two years after he used an anti-Semitic slur while playing a video game that was being ...

Leonard stood instead, his hand over his heart, and did so with the support of Heat teammates. That was the start of him spending much of the last two years trying to atone for what he did — almost all of it quietly, in a deliberate effort to quash any notion his work was simply done to get positive media coverage. Leonard said then that he knew he’d used a bad term, but was unaware of the term’s meaning.

MIAMI (AP) — Meyers Leonard is getting another chance at the NBA, nearly two years after he used an anti-Semitic slur while playing a video game that was ...

Meyers Leonard is getting a second chance in the NBA after using an antisemitic slur in 2021 -- signing a 10-day contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.

[several Jewish organizations](https://www.tmz.com/2021/08/12/nba-meyers-leonard-fight-antisemitism-hate-organization/) to fight antisemitism while away from the NBA hardwood -- and told us back in Oct. "I can only be hopeful that people will allow me bounce back from a mistake," Leonard said at the time. the NBA center is signing a contract with the Milwaukee Bucks -- almost two years after he said an antisemitic slur during a video game live stream. He was also banned from the Twitch platform. 2021 that he had [learned](https://www.tmz.com/2021/10/08/meyers-leonard-talks-nba-future-death-threats-relationship-jewish-community-slur/) a ton, and was remorseful for his actions. [Getty](https://www.tmz.com/2021/03/09/nba-meyers-leonard-appears-to-use-anti-semitic-slur-during-twitch-stream/)

Meyers Leonard has spent more than two years without stepping foot on an NBA court, but he could be doing so soon after signing a 10-day contract with the ...

"But I always come back to this: Don’t give up. Leonard had to issue an apology on Instagram at the time of the incident, but he was later suspended one week and fined $50,000 by the league. Leonard then underwent ankle surgery in April 2021, which ended up causing nerve damage. "There are absolutely no excuses for what happened that day," he said via ESPN. You f---ing k--- b----," Leonard said during the stream. "I feel like I’m living in a bad dream," Leonard explained.

Meyers Leonard has been out of the NBA for two years. He's now finally found his new club. According to Adrian Wojnarowski from ESPN, the former Miami Heat ...

[According to Adrian Wojnarowski from ESPN](https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1627798206678695936), the former [Miami Heat](https://basketnews.com/teams/387-miami-heat.html) forward is signing a 10-day contract with the Milwaukee Bucks. [Meyers Leonard](https://basketnews.com/players/11156-meyers-leonard.html) has been out of the NBA for two years. Meyers Leonard is signing a 10-day deal with the Bucks.

Former Miami Heat center signs 10-day contract with Milwaukee Bucks, allowing him to play first game in national league since using anti-Jewish slur online.

Leonard stood instead, his hand over his heart, and did so with the support of Heat teammates. Thank you for the Love, Compassion and Grace. 280 characters wasn’t enough for me to express my gratitude for the Jewish community. [ trying to atone](https://www.timesofisrael.com/miamis-jewish-community-embraces-nba-player-after-apology-for-anti-semitic-slur/) for what he did — almost all of it quietly, in a deliberate effort to quash any notion his work was simply done to get positive media coverage. Leonard said then that he knew he’d used a bad term, but was unaware of the term’s meaning. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.

Back in March of 2021, the Miami Heat took the decision to suspend Meyers Leonard, after the player came in for heavy condemnation from the Anti-Defamation ...

[Philip Cowen,](https://archives.cjh.org//repositories/3/resources/19716) editor of [“The American Hebrew,”](https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1387-american-hebrew-the) suggests that it derives from the Yiddish word kikel, or, circle. Even accidentally, it can rapidly spread.” It’s worth noting, that Leonard did in fact apologize after the clip of his comments went viral. “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. As mentioned above, it was during a live broadcast of the popular military first-person shooter, Call of Duty, when Leonard called another player a “f******g kike b***h”. The former Miami Heat player, who was suspended in 2021 for using an anti-Semitic slur, was said to be [working out with the Los Angeles Lakers](https://theathletic.com/4086585/2023/01/12/meyers-leonard-lakers-work-out/) - as of last Friday - however, now appears to have a deal in place with the Bucks. Where his present situation is concerned, there is no real way to know what to expect. Meyers Leonard will be away from the team indefinitely,” the team said. On this theory, Ellis Island immigration inspectors began calling such people kikels, and the term shortened as time passed.” The other theory suggested, is that of [Anatoly Liberman](https://cla.umn.edu/about/directory/profile/aliber) who believes that the slur derives from “Hayyim, transcribed in German as Chaim. Indeed, it wasn’t long after the situation became public, that the Heat [announced](https://people.com/sports/meyers-leonard-will-be-away-from-the-team-indefinitely-after-using-anti-semitic-slur-miami-heat-says/) that the center would be “away” from the team “indefinitely.” [Julian Edelman,](https://www.nfl.com/players/julian-edelman/) who is Jewish, published an [open letter](https://twitter.com/Edelman11/status/1369689157010919427) about the incident in which he wrote, “Casual ignorance is harder to combat and has greater reach, especially when you command great influence. If you missed it, Leonard was suspended after a clip of him using the racial slur during a live broadcast of Call of Duty on Twitch, went viral back in March of that year. His fortunes may be about to change.

The Milwaukee Bucks have added some more size in 7-foot-1 center Meyers Leonard.

Meyers Leonard and the Milwaukee Bucks reportedly agreed on a 10-day contract, his first NBA deal since 2021 after he used an anti-Semitic slur on a live...

Leonard stood instead, his hand over his heart, and did so with the support of Heat teammates. That was the start of him spending much of the last two years trying to atone for what he did — almost all of it quietly, in a deliberate effort to quash any notion his work was simply done to get positive media coverage. Leonard said then that he knew he'd used a bad term, but was unaware of the term's meaning.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Milwaukee Bucks are signing Meyers Leonard to a 10-day contract as they look to fill out their roster.

Despite being away from the game for several years, Leonard’s controversial past will follow him to Milwaukee. Per Wojnarowski, the Bucks have had Leonard on their radar for over a year and had a workout with him last month. It is not surprising that the Bucks signed someone, but it is surprising they signed Meyers Leonard.

Leonard's career was jeopardized when it was discovered that he used a slur during an online livestream.

Leonard stood instead, his hand over his heart, and did so with the support of Heat teammates. That was the start of him spending much of the last two years trying to atone for what he did — almost all of it quietly, in a deliberate effort to quash any notion his work was simply done to get positive media coverage. Leonard said then that he knew he’d used a bad term but was unaware of the term’s meaning. Leonard’s career was jeopardized and his reputation was seriously damaged on March 8, 2021, when it was discovered that he used a slur while playing an online game as others watched on a livestream. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced. A person with knowledge of the negotiations said Leonard and the Milwaukee Bucks have agreed on a 10-day contract, opening the door for the 7-foot center to play in an NBA game for the first time since January 2021.

Meyers Leonard is getting another chance at the NBA, nearly two years after he used an antisemitic slur during a video game livestream.

Leonard stood instead, his hand over his heart, and did so with the support of Heat teammates. ESPN first reported the agreement between Leonard and the Bucks. Leonard said then that he knew he’d used an offensive term but was unaware of the term’s meaning.

Meyers Leonard is getting another chance at the NBA, nearly two years after he used an antisemitic slur while playing a video game that was being ...

The Milwaukee Bucks are giving Meyers Leonard another chance to play in the NBA nearly two years after he used an antisemitic slur while playing a ...

They'll get 10 days to see if Leonard - who was with Miami for its run to the 2020 NBA Finals in the restart bubble at Walt Disney World - Leonard stood instead, his hand over his heart, and did so with the support of Heat team-mates. The two parties have agreed to a 10-day contract. The news was first reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. A person with knowledge of the negotiations said Leonard and the Bucks have agreed on a 10-day contract, opening the door for the 7-foot center to play in an NBA game for the first time since January 2021. The Milwaukee Bucks are giving Meyers Leonard another chance to play in the NBA nearly two years after he used an antisemitic slur while playing a livestreamed video game.