The NBA’s Miami Heat distanced himself from a player who used an anti-Semitic slur earlier this week while playing a video game streamed live over the Internet.
Meyers Leonard, a six-foot-tall center on the Heat, called another gamer a “k —” Monday during a “Call of Duty” match streamed via online gaming broadcast service Twitch.
“The Miami Heat vehemently condemns the use of any hate speech,” the Heat said in a statement.
“The words used by Meyers Leonard were wrong and we will not tolerate hate speech from anyone involved in our franchise,” added the team. “It is especially disappointing and hurtful to anyone who works here to hear it from a Miami Heat player as well as the larger South Florida, Miami Heat and NBA communities.”
In a social media post on Tuesday, Leonard acknowledged his use of the libel, claimed he did not know the term was offensive to Jewish people, and apologized.
“I acknowledge and increase my mistake, and I don’t have to run from something like this that is so hurtful to someone else,” said Leonard. “My ignorance about its history and how offensive it is to the Jewish community is absolutely no excuse and I was just wrong.”
The NBA said it is investigating the incident and is considering possible punishment for the seventh-year player.
“The NBA unequivocally condemns all forms of hate speech,” league spokesman Mike Bass told The Associated Press.
The Heat said Leonard will be spending time outside the team, which will begin the second half of the season following the All-Star Break this week.
Leonard could become a free agent this summer, the AP noted, and the Heat has an option on his contract for the 2021-2022 season totaling about $ 10 million. He appeared in just three games for Miami this year.