Veteran large man Meyers Leonard is about to make his return to the NBA by signing a 10-day contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, in response to Adrian Wojnarowski. Leonard has not performed in over two full years as a result of an antisemitism scandal and a number of accidents.
In March of 2021, Leonard was livestreaming himself enjoying video video games when he stated an antisemitic slur. Following the incident, Leonard, who then performed for the Miami Heat, was fined $50,000 and suspended from all staff actions for per week. Shortly thereafter, he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder together with a 2027 second-round choose in trade for Trevor Ariza. The Thunder waived Leonard and he has not performed within the league since then.
While Leonard’s antisemitic remark was the driving power behind his unofficial suspension from the league, he has additionally handled quite a few accidents. At the time of the incident, he was recovering from shoulder surgical procedure, and most not too long ago he handled post-surgical nerve harm in his leg.
Now wholesome, Leonard has been actively pursuing a return to the NBA. He labored out with the Los Angeles Lakers in January, and not too long ago labored out with the Bucks, who per Wojnarowski had been monitoring his standing for over a 12 months. When information that Leonard was making an attempt to play once more first broke in January, NBA spokesman Mike Bass issued a press release:
“Since his use of a derogatory and unacceptable time period in 2021, Meyers Leonard has been held accountable and has devoted appreciable effort and time to know the influence of his remark,” Bass stated. “He met with quite a few leaders within the Jewish neighborhood and took part in neighborhood applications to coach himself and use his platform to share his learnings with others.”
Around that point, Leonard additionally appeared on ESPN’s Outside the Lines, and claimed that he was unaware of the which means of the slur he uttered.
“There are completely no excuses for what occurred that day,” Leonard stated. “And ignorance, sadly, is a really actual factor. I’m not operating from this, however I didn’t know that it occurred.
“I felt like I had simply destroyed my life and all the pieces that I labored for, to be trustworthy. People had each proper to, I suppose, make assumptions about me. People had been going to must, within the media, touch upon this. And I perceive, I do. I stated, you higher go deal with this and to indicate individuals what’s in your coronary heart … I assumed that it would be simpler to be lifeless than it will be to take care of what had simply occurred, as a result of I need everybody to love me. I do not hate anyone. I’d by no means deliberately damage anyone.”
While the Bucks did have already got an open roster spot, the choice to signal Leonard comes the day after it was reported that Giannis Antetokounmpo will journey to New York for additional evaluations of his sprained wrist. The timing of the varied experiences counsel that the two-time MVP could also be headed for a stint on the sidelines, which might necessitate the Bucks signing a giant man.
