Meyers Leonard had been a free agent since March 25, 2021 before he signed a 10-day contract with the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.
The 30-year-old forward was rehabbing from shoulder surgery, but he made headlines on March 8, 2021 when he used an anti-Semitic slur while playing a video game on a live stream. The NBA suspended Leonard for a week and fined him $50,000. Leonard apologized for the comment, and he immersed himself in the Jewish community in an attempt to make amends for his comment.
“It’s a mixed bag of emotions, for sure,” Leonard told reporters Wednesday, per The Athletic’s Eric Nehm. “It’s certainly the hardest two-year stretch I’ve ever had in my life, as an adult, as a man. The truth is — let’s just cut to it — I made a really big mistake, the biggest mistake of my life. It was an extremely difficult time because, first of all, just let me say to anybody who’s listening, I’m incredibly sorry. It was an ignorant mistake.
“But if anyone has followed what I’ve been up to off the floor in the Jewish community, I think they’ll see pretty clear that I’ve tried to go above and beyond to show my heart and who I am, that I’m very remorseful. I want to make it right day after day, week after week, coming up on two years (since) the mistake happened. I’ve learned so much about myself as a man, about the Jewish community, just maturing in general.”
Leonard added: “Frankly there were times I wanted to run away. I’ve been very fortunate, let’s say, I guess financially, but that would have been the coward’s way out, to run away and say I’ve made enough money, I want to go start my life elsewhere.”
This course of action stood in stark contrast to what Kyrie Irving had done this season. The 30-year-old guard in late October shared a link to a film that promoted anti-Semitic views that included the false belief the Holocaust did not happen.
Irving initially pushed back on criticism over his “promotion” of the film, but after the Brooklyn Nets suspended him, he issued an apology. He completed the guidelines of his suspension and returned to the team.
However, he deleted that apology on Instagram after he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. He claimed to still stand by the apology, but his fall into conspiracy theories apparently still remains, and his actions have become an afterthought in the NBA — yes, Irving is by far a more superior player than Leonard and likely why the latter must do more to make a roster as opposed to the former, who still is one of the best guards in the league.
He was seen during All-Star weekend taking a stand against Nike by redesigning their shoes. But Leonard has shown a more concerted effort to show empathy after yelling an anti-Semitic slur, which Irving has not done when asked to deny he holds anti-Semitic views.
