The Miami Heat has put Meyers Leonard away indefinitely from the team after an antisemitic slur he blurted out during a Twitch stream.
NBA players nowadays connect to their fanbase in many different ways. The most common, of course, is through social media. However, a new breed of NBA players is emerging as live game streaming takes front and center.
Live-streamed games open up new avenues and fanbases for NBA players. They not only get to talk to their fanbases directly, but they also enjoy their time playing away from the court.
Game streaming is not all just fun and games as going live carries with it the responsibility of saying the right things. It is especially true for people in the position to influence others like NBA Players.
Unfortunately, sometimes things get too casual that things that aren’t supposed to be said live are blurted out. Just check out the recent case of Miami Heat’s Meyers Leonard.
Meyers Leonard is the effects of his Twitch blunder
The NBA is currently investigating the hate speech blurted out by Meyers Leonard during a live-streamed game of Call of Duty. The term used is an insulting slur against Jews. Meyers Leonard must have been caught off guard when he caught another player sniping him in the game.
Naturally, his hate speech immediately caught the attention of the NBA. As such, the Miami Heat has put him away indefinitely from the team. It also immediately publicly reprimanded the words used by its player. It said,
“The words used by Meyers Leonard were wrong and we will not tolerate hateful language from anyone associated with our franchise. To hear it from a Miami Heat player is especially disappointing and hurtful to all those who work here, as well as the larger South Florida, Miami Heat, and NBA communities.”
Gaming groups are severing ties with Leonard
Meyers Leonard originally saw supporting gaming groups as his career after his stint in the NBA. Unfortunately, the gaming community is spewing him out. Before the slur was said, Leonard was a supporter and investor of FaZe Clan, Scuf Gaming, and Origin PC.
Less than 24hours since his Freudian slip, the gaming groups have completely severed ties with the Heat’s injured center.
Leonard has since acknowledged and apologized for his mistake via a post on Instagram. He said,
“I am deeply sorry for using an anti-Semitic slur during a livestream yesterday. While I didn’t know what the word meant at the time, my ignorance about its history and how offensive it is to the Jewish community is absolutely not an excuse and I was just wrong.”
Image from Meyers Leonard/ YouTube thumbnail