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Report: Meyers Leonard to Sign Bucks Contract; Out of NBA Since Using Slur in 2021

Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerX.com LogoFeatured Columnist IVFebruary 20, 2023

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 10: Meyers Leonard #0 of the Miami Heat looks to pass during the first half of the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on January 10, 2020 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Sarah Stier/Getty Images

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.