Ex-NBA star- who sparked controversy with anti-Semitic slur - announces major career change
Ex-NBA star Meyers Leonard - who sparked controversy with anti-Semitic slur - announces major career change
READ MORE: NBA owner makes record $325m bid to buy WNBA team
By ERIC BLUM,
Published: 07:13 EDT, 6 August 2025 | Updated: 07:13 EDT, 6 August 2025
Meyers Leonard, the ex-NBA star best known for his controversial anti-Semitic statement in 2021 on a video-game live stream, has announced a career pivot to performing country music.
Leonard is performing in a show called 'Summer Smash' on Saturday in Robinson, Illinois, he shared on Instagram.
In the official poster for the concert, Leonard is holding an acoustic guitar while wearing a camouflaged NBA tank top.
For months, Leonard has been posting snippets of him performing country music on his Instagram page, including his single 'B.E.E.R'.
Leonard officially announced his retirement from the NBA in March with his most recent stint in the league coming in the 2022-23 season when he played nine games for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Before his brief return to the league with Bucks, he had been away from the NBA for almost two years after a video surfaced of him using an anti-Semitic slur while livestreaming a video game on the website, Twitch, surfaced in 2021.
Ex-NBA star Meyers Leonard, known for a 2021 anti-semitic slur, has made a career change
Leonard is performing in a show called 'Summer Smash' on Saturday in Robinson, Illinois
'F***ing cowards,' Leonard is heard saying during the 'Call of Duty' live stream. 'Don't f***ing snipe me, you f***ing k*** b****.'
Leonard had always hoped for another shot in the NBA after apologizing for his actions, getting that two years ago.
'There's not a hateful cell in my body,' Leonard told ESPN's 'Outside the Lines' in an interview that aired in January 2023. 'And I know that I made a huge, huge mistake.'
Leonard claimed he was unaware of the meaning behind the word, telling anchor Jeremy Schaap that 'there's less than ideal language used in a large portion of video gaming.'
He went on to say that he was unaware of what he'd actually said until it was too late: 'There are absolutely no excuses for what happened that day. And ignorance, sadly, is a very real thing. ... I am not running from this, but I did not know that it happened.'
He apologized for the incident in 2021 after being roundly criticized by the Jewish groups and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who fined Leonard $50,000 and barred him from being around the Heat for one week. The team had previously said Leonard would be away indefinitely.
Leonard was required by the league to participate in a cultural diversity program. He also met with representatives from the Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish organization that works to stop extremism and delivers anti-bias education.
Silver did say in 2021 that he believes Leonard 'is genuinely remorseful' for using the slur.
Leonard was suspended by the NBA in 2021 after video surfaced of him using an anti-semitic slur while livestreaming a video game on the website, Twitch
Following the incident, Leonard, who was injured at the time, was traded in a salary dump to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was never activated by the Thunder and became a free agent after the season.
Yet, Leonard's absence from the NBA was not strictly due to his use of the anti-Jewish slur. He was only cleared to return to playing in January 2023 following a series of ankle and shoulder surgeries,
He reportedly worked out for the Los Angeles Lakers before signing his short-lived deal with the Bucks.
That year, he averaged 4.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per contest while shooting 48.3% from the field and 38.9% from the three-point range.
Leonard, the 11th overall pick in the 2012 draft, played 10 seasons for the Portland Trail Blazers, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat. He made he NBA Finals with the Heat in the 2020 season.
In October 2023, he filed a lawsuit against Dr. Martin O'Malley, Dr. David Kim, and the Hospital for Special Surgery and over what he claims was a botched ankle surgery that resulted in nerve damage, severe pain and mental anguish, as well as lost income.
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings