Report: Meyers Leonard to Sign Bucks Contract; Out of NBA Since Using Slur in 2021
February 20, 2023
Veteran center Meyers Leonard has agreed to sign a 10-day contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The 30-year-old has been out of the NBA since using an antisemitic slur on a video stream while playing Call of Duty: Warzone in March 2021.
Leonard told Outside the Lines' Jeremy Schaap in January he "made a huge, huge mistake."
"There are absolutely no excuses for what happened that day," he said. "And ignorance, sadly, is a very real thing. I am not running from this, but I did not know that it happened."
At the time he was suspended by the Miami Heat before being traded and subsequently released by the Oklahoma City Thunder, Leonard was recovering from season-ending shoulder surgery. He also required a procedure on his ankle in April 2021 and experienced significant complications including nerve damage.
The 7-footer made a move toward an NBA return when he worked out for the Los Angeles Lakers last month.
Leonard has spent nine seasons in the league. He has averaged 5.6 points and 3.9 rebounds and established himself as a floor-spacing big. A career 39.0 percent shooter from the perimeter, he has knocked down 0.7 three-pointers per game.
His arrival in Milwaukee comes as Giannis Antetokounmpo is battling a wrist injury. The two-time MVP made only a brief cameo in Sunday's All-Star Game, and ESPN's Tim Bontemps reported after the game he planned to have further testing on his wrist done Monday.
In Leonard, the Bucks might be looking to shore up their frontcourt depth until more information about Antetokounmpo's injury is known.
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