CNN
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Meyers Leonard is returning to the NBA two years after he final performed within the league after the Milwaukee Bucks introduced on Wednesday he had signed on a 10-day contract.
The 30-year-old heart has been out of the league since 2021 after he used an anti-Semitic slur throughout a livestream of him enjoying a online game.
In March 2021, whereas he was a member of the Miami Warmth, Leonard mentioned “f**king cowards. Don’t f**king snipe at me. You okay**e b***h” when enjoying ‘Name of Obligation: Warzone.’
After the incident got here to gentle, Leonard apologized in an Instagram submit. “I’m deeply sorry for utilizing an anti-Semitic slur throughout a livestream yesterday,” Leonard wrote.
“My ignorance about its historical past and the way offensive it’s to the Jewish neighborhood is totally not an excuse and I used to be simply improper.”
The NBA fined Leonard $50,000 and suspended him for per week. The Warmth advised him to steer clear of the workforce indefinitely earlier than buying and selling him to the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder. The league mandated Leonard to take part in a cultural variety program.
For the reason that controversial episode, Leonard has labored with a number of Jewish organizations and leaders.
The Portland Path Blazers drafted Leonard because the eleventh general choose within the 2012 NBA draft. He performed seven seasons with the Path Blazers, enjoying in 393 video games.
He performed two years with the Warmth. In 54 video games with the Warmth, the 7-foot heart averaged 5.9 factors and 4.9 rebounds per recreation.
Leonard advised ESPN earlier this yr that he underwent ankle surgical procedure in April 2021 and suffered nerve harm on account of the process.
He advised advised Jeremy Schaap of ‘Outdoors the Traces’ earlier this yr that there have been “no excuses” for what he did.
“I really feel like I’m dwelling in a foul dream,” Leonard mentioned. “There’s not a hateful cell in my physique. And I do know that I made an enormous, large mistake.”
The Bucks host Leonard’s former workforce, the Warmth, on Friday.