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It’s been a little over two years since Meyers Leonard played in an NBA game. In January of 2021, the former member of the Miami Heat was sidelined with a shoulder injury that would eventually require surgery (he’d also go under the knife to treat an ankle issue a couple of months later), but that wasn’t the only setback he suffered that year.
Leonard tried to keep busy while recovering by routinely streaming himself playing video games on Twitch, but in March, he ended up in some very hot water after he uttered an anti-Semitic slur during a Call of Duty session. It didn’t take long for a number of sponsors to distance themselves from the seven-footer, and the Heat wasted no time trading him to the Thunder in a salary cap-related transaction that ultimately ended with him being released.
The center did what he could to make amends by meeting with leaders from the Jewish community, and he issued what appeared to be a very genuine and emotional apology while speaking to children at a synagogue in Florida that June. With that said, there was still only so much he could do to get the cloud that still hangs over him to dissipate.
On Thursday, Leonard’s name popped back into the news courtesy of Shams Charania, who revealed the Lakers had invited him to a workout scheduled for Friday. However, it was hard to ignore the way the NBA insider positioned that development, as his initial announcement made it seem like the aforementioned injuries were the only reason Leonard had been kept out of the league for as long as he has.
Leonard last played in Jan. 2021, at which point he had season-ending shoulder and ankle surgeries. Based on issues that stem from the ankle surgery, Leonard has been sidelined for almost two years, and recently was fully cleared to work out for NBA teams. https://t.co/NjQx7ZTKyP
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 12, 2023
As Awful Announcing notes, Charania (who is frequently accused of being a mouthpiece for players and their agents) was quickly admonished by plenty of people who pointed out he’d neglected to mention the incident that has probably made some NBA teams a bit weary about reaching out to Leonard.
To his credit, he eventually posted a follow-up tweet acknowledging that particular aspect of the potential comeback.
Leonard was suspended in March 2021 after using antisemitic slur on a live stream. He later apologized and has spent time with Jewish leaders and immersed himself in the Jewish community over the last couple years — which the league has been aware of. https://t.co/bPfWzeJTGK
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 12, 2023
There will undoubtedly be plenty of people who will refuse to accept Leonard’s apology despite the steps he’s taken to atone. With that said, if he can follow in the footsteps of Tim Hardaway (who became a dedicated LGBTQ activist after living up to his promise to educate himself in the wake of the homophobic comments he made in 2007), I think many fans will agree he deserves a shot at redemption.