Meyers Leonard is breaking his silence and giving his first on-camera interview to TMZ Sports after using an anti-Semitic slur ... addressing the bonds he's formed with the Jewish community, death threats he's received, and his desire to return to the basketball court.
"It's hard to explain," Leonard told us out in Beverly Hills. "The people who have been the most loving and the most compassionate, showing the most grace, have been so many people from the Jewish community."
Remember, 29-year-old Meyers -- the 11th overall pick in the 2012 draft -- dropped the k-word while streaming on Twitch back in March.