Former Miami Heat center Meyers Leonard says there are ‘no excuses’ for his use of an anti-Semitic slur in 2021, but tells ESPN that he still hopes to return to the NBA despite the lingering controversy.
‘There’s not a hateful cell in my body,’ Leonard told ESPN’s ‘Outside the Lines’ in an interview that aired Tuesday. ‘And I know that I made a huge, huge mistake.’
Leonard has been away from the NBA since March of 2021 after a video surfaced of him using an anti-Semitic slur while livestreaming a video game on the website, Twitch.
‘F***ing cowards,’ Leonard, 30, is heard saying during the ‘Call of Duty’ live stream. ‘Don’t f***ing snipe me, you f***ing k*** b****.’
Ex-Heat center Meyers Leonard says there are ‘no excuses’ for his use of an anti-Semitic slur in 2021, but tells ESPN that he still hopes to return to the NBA despite the lingering controversy
In Tuesday’s interview, Leonard claimed he was unaware of the meaning behind the word, telling anchor Jeremy Schaap that ‘there’s less than ideal language used in a large portion of video gaming.’
He went on to say that he was unaware of what he’d actually said until it was too late: ‘There are absolutely no excuses for what happened that day. And ignorance, sadly, is a very real thing. … I am not running from this, but I did not know that it happened.’
Leonard’s absence from the NBA may not be strictly due to his use of the anti-Jewish slur. He has only recently been cleared to play following a series of ankle and shoulder surgeries, and reportedly worked out for the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this month.
He apologized for the incident in 2021 after being roundly criticized by the Jewish groups and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who fined Leonard $50,000 and barred him from being around the Heat for one week. The team had previously said Leonard would be away indefinitely.
The 30-year-old Leonard was playing ‘Call of Duty’ on the website, Twitch, when he was caught saying ‘k***’ – a derogatory term for a Jewish person
NBA spokesman Mike Bass told ESPN that Leonard is in good standing with the league after meeting with Jewish leaders.
‘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. ‘He has met with numerous leaders in the Jewish community and participated in community programs to educate himself and use his platform to share his learnings with others.’
If he does get a chance to return to the NBA, Leonard knows he’ll continued to be tainted by what he said.
The Heat are owned by Israeli-American businessman Micky Arison (pictured)
‘I’ll be a little scared of what someone might say to me, what a fan might say,’ he told Schaap. ‘But I always come back to this: Don’t give up. If you’re a good person and you work hard, things are going to work out in life. And I wholeheartedly believe that.’
Following the incident, Leonard, who was injured at the time, was traded in a salary dump to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was neve activated by the Thunder and became a free agent after the season.
Silver did say in 2021 that he believes Leonard ‘is genuinely remorseful’ for using the slur.
‘Meyers Leonard’s comment was inexcusable and hurtful and such an offensive term has no place in the NBA or in our society,’ Silver said at the time.
Leonard was required by the league to participate in a cultural diversity program. He also met with representatives from the Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish organization that works to stop extremism and delivers anti-bias education.
Leonard released a statement in 2021 claiming he didn’t know what the word meant
Leonard released a statement following the incident claiming he didn’t know what the word meant.
‘I am deeply sorry for using an anti-Semitic slur during the livestream 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 an there’s no running from something like this that is so hurtful to someone else.
Edelman (pictured) didn’t think Leonard had any harmful intent, but said he showed ‘casual ignorance’ which is more dangerous
‘This is not a proper representation of who I am and I want to apologize to [Miami Heat owner Micky Arison and his family], 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.’
Former New England Patriots receiver Julian Edelman, who is Jewish, reached out to Leonard on social media and offered to meet with him.
‘I get the sense that you didn’t use that word out of hate, more out of ignorance,’ Edelman wrote. ‘Most likely, you weren’t trying to hurt anyone or even profile Jews in your comment. That’s what makes it so destructive. When someone intends to be hateful, it’s usually met with great resistance.
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‘Casual ignorance is harder to combat and has greater reach, especially when you command great influence. Hate is like a virus. Even accidentally, it can rapidly spread.
‘I’m down in Miami fairly often. Let’s do a Shabbat dinner with some friends. I’ll show you a fun time.’
Meyers Leonard stands with kneeling teammates during the national anthem before an NBA conference semifinal playoff basketball game against the Miami Heat on September 8
Leonard is not well known beyond basketball fans, but gained some nationwide notoriety during the NBA’s 2019-20 season restart in Orlando when he decided to stand for the national anthem as his Miami teammates knelt to protest racism.
He explained his decision in August of 2020, saying that he could be a patriot while supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.
‘Some of the conversations I’ve had over the past three days, quite literally, have been the most difficult,’ Leonard told The Associated Press prior to a game inside the league bubble in Orlando. ‘I am with the Black Lives Matter movement and I love and support the military and my brother and the people who have fought to defend our rights in this country.’
The 7-foot former University of Illinois star was taken with the 11th pick of the 2012 NBA Draft by Portland, where he played most of his career.
Leonard has earned nearly $60 million over nine NBA seasons, the last two of which came in Miami.
