Miami Heat center Meyers Leonard was suspended from team facilities and fined $50,000 following widespread backlash for using an anti-Semitic slur earlier this week while playing a livestreamed video game.
Leonard on Monday called another player a “k—” during a video game that was being streamed by online gaming broadcast service Twitch.
The NBA announced his fine and one-week suspension on Thursday. He will also be “required to participate in a cultural diversity program,” according to a Thursday statement from the league.
“Meyers Leonard’s comment was inexcusable and hurtful and such an offensive term has no place in the NBA or in our society. Yesterday, he spoke to representatives of the Anti-Defamation League to better understand the impact of his words and we accept that he is genuinely remorseful,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement Thursday.
“We have further communicated to Meyers that derogatory comments like this will not be tolerated and that he will be expected to uphold the core values of our league – equality, tolerance, inclusion and respect – at all times moving forward,” Silver continued.
Leonard, 29, apologized earlier this week for using the slur and said he “didn’t know what the word meant at the time” in a Tuesday statement.
“I am now more aware of its meaning and am committed to properly seeking out people who can help educate me about this type of hate and how we can fight it. I acknowledge my own mistake and there’s no running from something like this that is so hurtful to someone else,” he said in a statement on Instagram.
The Miami Heat said in a statement Wednesday that it “vehemently condemns the use of any form of hate speech.”
The team is set to begin its second half of the NBA season following the All-Star Break this week.