Miami Heat center Meyers Leonard was caught using an ethnic slur during a video game live stream. He was playing Call of Duty: Warzone when he made an antisemitic remark. He used the K-word, an ethnically offensive derogatory term for Jewish people.
The NSFW video, which can be seen here, was taken from Leonard’s Twitch stream. He dropped a cluster strike and then uttered the racial slur. “F—ing coward, don’t f—ing snipe me!” Leonard said. “F—ing k— b—.” A team spokesperson for the Heat said that the organization is aware of the language used by Leonard.
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According to the Sun-Sentinel, Leonard is currently recovering from January shoulder surgery. He is done for the remainder of the season, which could be his last in Miami. Leonard signed a two-year, $19.5 million contract in November to return to the team as a free agent. The Heat currently hold a team option for next year’s salary.
When the NBA resumed play in the Orlando bubble, Leonard drew attention due to standing during the national anthem as his fellow players kneeled. He said at the time that he did so out of respect for family members in the military. Leonard also noted his respect for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Leonard played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini before he began his NBA career. The Portland Trail Blazers selected him with the 11th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. He spent his first seven seasons in the Pacific Northwest, posting a career-high 30 points and 12 rebounds in a Western Conference Finals overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Following the 2019 season, the Blazers traded Leonard to the Heat in a four-team trade. He helped them reach the NBA Finals. He started two games in the Finals while replacing an injured Bam Adebayo. The Heat ultimately lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. Leonard then rejoined the team on his two-year contract.
Prior to the NBA restart in 2020, Leonard spoke to the media about social justice. He said that he wanted to take a proactive stance on social matters. He also detailed some donations that he had made to the community.
“I truly know that I will continue to make an impact with my platform, my voice and with my resources,” Leonard said, per the Sun-Sentinel. “I have no shame in saying that Elle and I, my wife, we donated $100,000 to the City of Miami, to Liberty City and Overtown, because they were slammed by voter suppression and COVID. And I have felt connected to this city immediately, and that was something that we felt we could do to help a place that clearly needed it.”
