Miami Heat center Myers Leonard has found himself at the center of some pretty intense backlash.
On Tuesday, video surfaced of the former Trailblazer using some aggressive hate speech during a Twitch live stream. While playing a video game, Leonard yelled a derogatory slur at an opposing player. The ninth-year NBA veteran used the K-word, a highly-insensitive slur used against Jewish people.
“f—–g k— b—-,” Leonard shouted.
Meyers Leonard says racial slurs while playing CoD pic.twitter.com/WHwUnbV0pR
— Main Team (@MainTeamSports) March 9, 2021
A few hours after the video was released, the NBA came forward with its statement on the matter. League spokesman Mike Bass spoke up about Leonard’s use of the anti-Semitic slur, per NBA insider Shams Charania:
“We just became aware of the video and are in the process of gathering more information. The NBA unequivocally condemns all forms of hate speech.”
NBA spokesman Mike Bass statement on Meyers Leonard, who said an anti-Semitic slur on a video game stream: “We just became aware of the video and are in the process of gathering more information. The NBA unequivocally condemns all forms of hate speech.”
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 9, 2021
This isn’t the first time Leonard has found himself at the center of racial controversy. Just last year during the dawn of the Black Lives Matter movement, the Miami center was the lone player on his team to remain standing during the national anthem. The rest of his Heat squad kneeled in protest of racial injustice.
When receiving backlash for his anthem stance, Leonard sited a respect for the military as his reasoning. It’s hard to see him coming up with an excuse for using this derogatory slur.
Whether it’s levied by the NBA or his team, a multiple-game suspension is more than likely on its way for Leonard.
The post The NBA Has Released A Statement On Meyers Leonard appeared first on The Spun.
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