Identifying as a Jew
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There’s a fine line between ignorance and hate. NBA-star Meyers Leonard's inspiring path to forgiveness.
Meyers Leonard has played in nearly 400 NBA games since being drafted by the Blazers in 2012, and now plays for the Bucks. You’d never expect this would be the guy who would be “canceled” for using an antisemitic slur, but here is what happened:
After an injury, Meyers spent his recovery playing Call of Duty on Twitch to a sizable audience. In a moment of frustration, Meyers screamed expletives at his opponent and used an antisemitic slur. He went to sleep that night thinking all was normal, but the next day, the incident blew up the internet.
Others in this situation might try to minimize or rationalize their actions, but Meyers from the jump was determined to make things right beyond just saying “sorry.”
In the aftermath of the incident, Meyers was fined $50,000 by the NBA and suspended for a week. He was condemned by the Heat - his team at the time - the NBA, the ADL, and basketball fans everywhere. Shortly after, the Heat traded Meyers to the Thunder, but he never played a single game for them. Meyers grew up in Robinson, Illinois, a blue-collar town of 7,000 with little diversity.
In Meyers’ words, he grew up with “Disney” goggles. Meaning, it did not occur to Meyers that what he said would have any real impact on anyone. But realizing he made a mistake, Meyers turned to his friend Matthew Hiltzik, a crisis management expert and a board member and supporter of Jewish causes. Hiltzik helped Meyers understand what it would take to not just make an apology, but to make a lasting impact.
Meyers was terrified of how he would be received by the Jewish community. With anger and hate? Would his words be weaponized against him? But Meyers found just the opposite. At the Southwest Broward Chabad, families, children, and Holocaust survivors welcomed him.
In Meyers words, “It was the most soulful pure thing that maybe I had ever been a part of. I learned that we all need some Shabbat dinner in our lives. To put our phones down, to communicate, to be in the moment.” From there, Hiltzik helped Meyers participate in events with the University of Miami Hillel, Boca Raton Synagogue, and the ADL. He was brought to tears at the Miami Beach Holocaust Memorial.
A key figure Meyers met along his journey was Rabbi Efrem Goldberg from Boca Raton Synagogue, who put Meyers on a path for healing he didn’t even know he needed, teaching him - “You will never be your full self until you’re willing to forgive yourself.” Meyers learned that this happened for him, not to him.
Before the incident, Meyers didn’t have the confidence to stand up and be the person he knew he should be. But from the therapy he’s put in, the people he’s met, the relationships he’s built, and the trauma he has overcome, he is finally able to use his platform to help dispel ignorance for millions. The persona is no longer a mask.
The Talmud teaches that genuine teshuvah - repentance - transforms the transgression into a merit. Meaning, “The mistake propelled you to become a better person.” Meyers Leonard has reached this level of repentance. In March of 2023, he played his first game in 2 years for the Bucks. And almost as if by Divine hand, he played against the Miami Heat. His journey had come full circle.
For further reading, NBA Star Meyers Leonard's Antisemitic Slur and His Heartfelt Apology
