Meyers Leonard
Leonard with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2019
Free agent
PositionCenter / power forward
Personal information
Born (1992-02-27) February 27, 1992 (age 31)
Woodbridge, Virginia, U.S.
Listed height7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
High schoolRobinson (Robinson, Illinois)
CollegeIllinois (2010–2012)
NBA draft2012: 1st round, 11th overall pick
Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers
Playing career2012–present
Career history
2012–2019Portland Trail Blazers
2019–2021Miami Heat
2023Milwaukee Bucks
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

Meyers Patrick Leonard (born February 27, 1992) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the University of Illinois Fighting Illini before being selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 11th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. After spending his first seven seasons with the Trail Blazers, he was traded to the Miami Heat in the 2019 off-season. He reached the NBA Finals with the Heat in 2020.

Early life

Leonard, born in Woodbridge, Virginia,[1] grew up in Robinson, Illinois, a small town in southeastern Illinois. When he was six years old, his father James, a golf pro, was killed in a freak bicycle accident. His mother Tracie, once an athlete who would run upwards of 10 miles a day, had been largely housebound since her husband's death, due to an old horseback injury and subsequent disc surgery that left her with crippling pain.[2]

When he was in second grade, the young Leonard gained a surrogate family. Brian Siler, an insurance agent in Robinson who had a son of the same age, was aware of Leonard's family situation, and eventually became a father figure. Leonard regularly attended the Silers' church and went on family vacations. According to ESPN.com writer Dana O'Neil:

"Looking to shoehorn the relationship into a convenient box, outsiders have called this Meyers' version of The Blind Side, but the comparison is inaccurate. The book and subsequent movie tell the story of Michael Oher, a boy who was homeless and didn't have much of a family life. Meyers Leonard has a family. It has not abandoned him. On the contrary, Tracie loves her son, loves him so much that she was willing to accept help."[2]

High school career

Leonard entered high school as a guard, but was converted to center after a six-inch (15 cm) growth spurt between his freshman and sophomore years. O'Neil called him "something of a basketball anomaly", adding that Leonard "gained all that height without losing his coordination or his fast-twitch muscles."[2]

In high school, Leonard was named a member of the 2010 Illinois All-State Team as selected by the Associated Press, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, News-Gazette, and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association. Leonard led Robinson High School to the IHSA class 2A state championship[3] before choosing to play collegiate basketball at the University of Illinois.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Meyers Leonard
C 		Robinson, IL Robinson High School 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 240 lb (110 kg) Jul 29, 2008 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 95
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 6 (C)   Rivals: 6 (C)  ESPN: 4 (C)
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Illinois Commit List for 2010". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  • "Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout.com. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  • "ESPN – Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball Recruiting 2010". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  • "2010 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 18, 2010.

College career

Illinois (2010–2012)

Leonard playing for Illinois

As a freshman at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 2010–11, Leonard averaged 2.1 points and 1.2 rebounds per game in 8.2 minutes per game for the Fighting Illini.[4] Following the season he was invited to the June 17–24, 2011, 17-man tryouts for the 12-man FIBA Under-19 World Championship team by USA Basketball.[5] Leonard was one of 12 selected players that competed as Team USA in the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championships in Latvia from June 30 – July 10, 2011, and placed fifth in the competition.[6]

As a sophomore in 2011–12, Leonard averaged 13.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.[4] Leonard was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week on December 5, 2011, after averaging 16.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in two Illinois victories.[7] Leonard was also named Big Ten Player of the Week on December 26, 2011, after averaging 16.5 points and 14.5 rebounds per game in two games.[8] Following the season, Leonard was named Honorable Mention All Big-10.[9] He then entered the NBA draft.[10]

Leonard hosted Max Bielfeldt during his February 26 and 27, 2011 official visit and met Max's sister Elle for the first time.[11][12] Elle was friends with Mike Davis' girlfriend, and after Illinois' 2010–11 basketball season, their relationship developed.[13] Their first date was five hours long at the University of Illinois gym. The pair spent two hours of shooting basketball and then three hours of talking, since she refused a dinner date.[11]

Professional career

Portland Trail Blazers (2012–2019)

Leonard was drafted with the 11th overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2012 NBA draft. On July 13 he signed his rookie-scale contract with the Trail Blazers.[14][15] On October 31, 2012, Leonard made his NBA debut, logging 23 minutes and scoring four points against the Los Angeles Lakers.[16] He made his first career start on November 21, 2012, against the Phoenix Suns, finishing with 12 points and 5 rebounds.[17] On March 30, 2013, he had a season-best game with 22 points and 10 rebounds in a loss to the Golden State Warriors.[18]

Leonard with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2013

Leonard's numbers dipped from his rookie to sophomore season, falling behind fellow second-year big man Joel Freeland as the primary backup to starter Robin Lopez. He saw action in 29 fewer games in 2013–14, with his minutes and points per game cut in half, as the Blazers transformed from a lottery team to a playoff contender.[19] On January 2, 2014, he had a season-best game with 8 points and 10 rebounds in a 134–104 win over the Charlotte Bobcats.[20]

In 2014–15, Leonard played only 13 total minutes in Portland's first 9 games as he was stuck in the big-man rotation behind Lopez, Freeland and Chris Kaman. On November 15, 2014, with LaMarcus Aldridge scratched with an upper respiratory illness against the Brooklyn Nets, Leonard picked up the start at power forward, playing 29 minutes. With his first major minutes at the power forward spot, he performed admirably, tallying 12 rebounds and hitting a three-pointer. He went on to pick up DNPs in 11 of the next 12 games. But when Lopez broke his hand going up for a rebound against the San Antonio Spurs on December 15, Leonard got another chance to show that he deserved time on the court. His improvement was incremental, but noticeable, over the following seven weeks. His play while Lopez was out earned him time to prove himself. He only saw six DNPs after the turn of the year, and grew in confidence despite limited minutes. At the season's end, Leonard had produced a remarkable 50/40/90 season, shooting 51% from the field, 42% from three-point range, and 93% from the free throw line.[21] In the penultimate game of the regular season on April 13, he scored a career-high 24 points in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.[22] He went on to record a playoff-best game with 13 points and 13 rebounds in a win over the Memphis Grizzlies in game 4 of Portland's first-round series. The Blazers lost the series 4–1.[23]

On December 1, 2015, Leonard scored a season-high 23 points in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks.[24] On March 24, 2016, he was ruled out for the rest of the season after injuring his left shoulder, requiring surgery.[25]

On July 10, 2016, Leonard re-signed with the Trail Blazers on a four-year, $41 million contract.[26][27] On October 8, 2016, he was cleared for all practice activities, six months after undergoing surgery on his left shoulder.[28] On December 23, 2016, he scored a season-high 16 points off the bench in a 110–90 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.[29]

On May 20, 2019, in game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, Leonard recorded a career-high 30 points and 12 rebounds in a 119–117 overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors.[30]

Miami Heat (2019–2021)

On July 6, 2019, Leonard was traded to the Miami Heat in a four-team trade.[31] The Heat reached the 2020 NBA Finals, but lost the series in 6 games to the Los Angeles Lakers. Leonard started two games in the Finals when Bam Adebayo was injured.

On November 22, 2020, the Miami Heat announced that they had re-signed with Leonard.[32] On February 2, 2021, it was reported that Leonard had undergone shoulder surgery and would miss the remainder of 2020–21 season.[33]

On March 9, 2021, the Heat announced that Leonard would be suspended indefinitely while the NBA conducted an investigation into his use of an anti-Semitic slur during a Twitch video game livestream session.[34] The NBA suspended him for one week and fined him $50,000.[35]

On March 17, 2021, Leonard was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder with a 2027 second-round pick for Trevor Ariza.[36] The Thunder stated that Leonard would not be joining the team or participating in any basketball activities and that they had traded for him as a salary filler.[37] Leonard was released on March 25.[38]

In April 2021, he underwent an ankle surgery. Leonard was soon found to have nerve damage within the bottom half of his right leg.[39]

On January 13, 2023, the Los Angeles Lakers hosted Leonard for a workout, which was the first publicized activity of his attempted NBA comeback after his anti-Semitism controversy.[40][41]

Milwaukee Bucks (2023)

On February 22, 2023, Leonard signed a 10-day contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.[42] On March 4, he signed a second 10-day contract with the Bucks.[43] On March 14, he signed a contract to stay on the team for the rest of the season.[44]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2012–13 Portland 69 9 17.5 .545 .429 .809 3.7 .5 .2 .6 5.5
2013–14 Portland 40 0 8.9 .451 .000 .762 2.8 .5 .2 .1 2.5
2014–15 Portland 55 7 15.4 .510 .420 .938 4.5 .6 .2 .3 5.9
2015–16 Portland 61 10 21.9 .448 .377 .761 5.1 1.5 .1 .3 8.4
2016–17 Portland 74 12 16.5 .386 .347 .875 3.2 1.0 .2 .4 5.4
2017–18 Portland 33 2 7.7 .590 .423 .818 2.1 .5 .2 .0 3.4
2018–19 Portland 61 2 14.4 .545 .450 .843 3.8 1.2 .2 .1 5.9
2019–20 Miami 51 49 20.3 .509 .414 .643 5.1 1.1 .3 .3 6.1
2020–21 Miami 3 2 9.7 .429 .429 .500 2.3 .7 .0 .0 3.3
2022–23 Milwaukee 9 2 12.7 .483 .389 .889 3.8 .1 .2 .0 4.8
Career 456 95 15.9 .482 .390 .812 3.9 .9 .2 .3 5.6

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2014 Portland 4 0 2.3 .000 — — .5 .0 .0 .0 .0
2015 Portland 5 0 21.2 .667 .769 .500 6.6 1.0 .4 .4 7.8
2017 Portland 3 1 10.3 .200 .000 — 2.7 .3 .0 .0 .7
2018 Portland 2 0 4.0 1.000 — — 2.0 .0 .0 .0 4.0
2019 Portland 11 2 15.5 .523 .424 .333 3.6 1.1 .2 .1 7.7
2020 Miami 3 2 10.3 .625 .500 1.000 .3 1.0 .3 .0 4.7
2023 Milwaukee 2 0 2.6 .000 — — .5 .0 .0 .0 .0
Career 30 5 12.0 .547 .481 .462 3.0 .7 .2 .1 4.9

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2010–11 Illinois 33 1 8.2 .483 .000 .706 1.2 .2 .2 .4 2.1
2011–12 Illinois 32 29 31.8 .584 .091 .732 8.2 1.3 .5 1.9 13.6
Career 65 30 19.8 .567 .083 .729 4.7 .7 .3 1.1 7.7

Personal life

Leonard has two older brothers; Christian Juracich, who died in 2020 and Bailey Leonard, a former U.S. Marine who has served in Afghanistan.[45] On May 25, 2014, he proposed marriage to Elle, his long-time girlfriend, who accepted.[13] They were married at the beginning of August 2015.[46][47] The Leonards founded a sports bar company together called Level Foods.[48] On June 7, 2022, their son Liam Walter Leonard was born.[49]

In April 2019, Leonard invested in FaZe Clan as a content creator.[50] The Leonards have donated $500,000 to the Illinois Athletic Department toward the renovation of the site of their first date, the Ubben Basketball Complex.[51]

Antisemitic slur controversy

On March 9, 2021, Leonard received criticism for using the antisemitic slur "kike" during a Twitch stream while playing Call of Duty: Warzone. The Heat announced the same day that they were reviewing the matter and that Leonard would be "away from the team indefinitely."[52] The eSports organization FaZe Clan cut ties with him later that day,[53] although he remained an investor.[54] He later apologized for using the slur, stating that he did not know what it meant. [55]

References

  1. ^ Klee, Paul (June 1, 2010). "Meyers Leonard: A road less traveled". The News-Gazette. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c O'Neil, Dana (January 25, 2012). "Meyers Leonard shoulders plenty". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  3. ^ Helfgot, Mike (March 14, 2010). "Class 2A championship: Derek Hannahs cashes in on overtime opportunities to lead Robinson to victory". ChicagoTribune.com. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  4. ^ a b "Illinois Athletics – Meyers Leonard". FightingIllini.com. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  5. ^ Snyder, Mark (May 12, 2011). "Keith Appling, Tim Hardaway Jr. invited to USA Basketball U-19 tryouts". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  6. ^ "TENTH FIBA MEN'S U19 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – 2011". USA Basketball. August 6, 2011. Archived from the original on April 6, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  7. ^ "Illinois, Indiana and Michigan State Claim Weekly Accolades". BigTen.org. December 5, 2011. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  8. ^ "Leonard Named Big Ten Player of the Week Again". FightingIllini.com. December 26, 2011. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  9. ^ "2011–12 All-Big Ten Men's Basketball Team" (PDF). cstv.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 24, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  10. ^ Powers, Scott (April 13, 2012). "Meyers Leonard to enter NBA draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Casey, Tim (October 5, 2020). "How Miami Heat Center Meyers Leonard And His Wife, Elle, Built A Health Food Company". Forbes. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  12. ^ "Illini's Head had little time to get nervous". The State Journal-Register blogs. February 25, 2011. Retrieved March 26, 2023. Peoria Notre Dame center Max Bielfeldt will make an official visit Saturday and Sunday. Bielfeldt landed a scholarship offer earlier this month after Illinois had previously invited him to join the program as a preferred walk-on.
  13. ^ a b Conn, Justin (June 29, 2014). "Not a kid anymore - Now a grown-up, Leonard returns to Robinson for basketball camp". Herald & Review. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  14. ^ "Damian Lillard, Meyers Leonard sign Trail Blazers rookie contracts". oregonlive. July 13, 2012.
  15. ^ Golliver, Ben (July 13, 2012). "Blazers Officially Announce Signings Of Damian Lillard & Meyers Leonard". Blazer's Edge.
  16. ^ "Lakers vs. Trail Blazers - Game Recap - October 31, 2012 - ESPN". ESPN.com.
  17. ^ "Trail Blazers vs. Suns - Game Recap - November 21, 2012 - ESPN". ESPN.com.
  18. ^ "Meyers Leonard 2012-13 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com.
  19. ^ Oregonian/OregonLive, Sean Meagher | The (May 22, 2014). "You be the GM: Trail Blazers center Meyers Leonard". oregonlive.((cite web)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ "Meyers Leonard 2013-14 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com.
  21. ^ Sampson, Peter (May 22, 2015). "Meyers Leonard: From Afterthought to Folk Hero". Blazer's Edge. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  22. ^ "Westbrook scores 36; Thunder beat Trail Blazers 101-90". ESPN.com. April 14, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  23. ^ "Meyers Leonard 2014-15 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com.
  24. ^ Peterson, Anne M. (December 2, 2015). "Matthews returns and Mavs defeat Trail Blazers 115-112 in OT". NBA.com. Archived from the original on May 9, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  25. ^ "Meyers Leonard to Undergo Shoulder Surgery". NBA.com. March 16, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  26. ^ "Trail Blazers Sign Meyers Leonard". NBA.com. July 10, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  27. ^ Freeman, Joe (July 10, 2016). "Trail Blazers, Meyers Leonard agree to 4-year, $41 million free agent deal". OregonLive.com. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  28. ^ Holdahl, Casey (October 8, 2016). "Leonard Cleared For Full Practice, Expected To Play Versus Lakers". NBA.com. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  29. ^ "Leonard has 33 and Spurs beat Blazers 110-90". ESPN.com. December 23, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  30. ^ "Warriors beat Blazers 119-117 in OT for NBA Finals berth". ESPN.com. May 20, 2019. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  31. ^ "HEAT Acquire Butler And Leonard". NBA.com. July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  32. ^ "Leonard Re-Signs With HEAT". NBA.com. November 22, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  33. ^ Richardson, Shandel (February 3, 2021). "Miami Heat's Meyers Leonard In Good Spirits After Season-Ending Surgery". SI.com. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  34. ^ Friedell, Nick (March 9, 2021). "Miami Heat say Meyers Leonard will be away from team indefinitely while NBA probes use of anti-Semitic slur". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  35. ^ Andrews, Malika (March 11, 2021). "Miami Heat's Meyers Leonard fined $50,000, suspended for week for using anti-Semitic slur". ESPN. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  36. ^ "Thunder Acquires 2027 Second-Round Draft Pick, Meyers Leonard and Generates Trade Exception". NBA.com. March 17, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  37. ^ Newman, Logan (March 25, 2021). "Thunder make it official, waive Meyers Leonard". Thunder Wire. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  38. ^ "Thunder Waives Meyers Leonard". NBA.com. March 25, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  39. ^ Armant, Jayden (April 8, 2022). "Former Heat center Meyers Leonard working his way back into the NBA". SI.com. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  40. ^ "Reports: Centres Cousins and Leonard to workout for Lakers on Friday". SportsNet.ca. January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  41. ^ "Post-antisemitic slur, Leonard seeks NBA return". ESPN.com. January 31, 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  42. ^ "Milwaukee Bucks sign Meyers Leonard to 10-day contract". NBA.com. February 22, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  43. ^ "Milwaukee Bucks Sign Meyers Leonard To Second 10-Day Contract". NBA.com. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  44. ^ "Bucks sign Meyers Leonard for rest of season". ESPN.com. March 14, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  45. ^ "Marine surprises brother after not seeing him for 2 years" – via YouTube.com.
  46. ^ "See which Portland Trail Blazers showed up at Meyers Leonard's wedding". Fox Sports. August 5, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  47. ^ Freeman, Joe (August 4, 2015). "Trail Blazers' Meyers Leonard is off the market: A look at his wedding". The Oregonian. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  48. ^ "OUR STORY". LEVEL. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  49. ^ Leonard, Meyers (June 8, 2022). "@meyersleonard post". Twitter. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  50. ^ Duran, H. B. (April 11, 2019). "NBA Player Meyers Leonard Announces Investment In FaZe Clan". The Esports Observer. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  51. ^ Anderson, Kimball (January 20, 2022). "Leonard: 'I was a fool' Former Illini 'taking steps to educate myself'". The Pantagraph. ProQuest 2472205047. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  52. ^ Joseph, Andrew (March 9, 2021). "The Heat's Meyers Leonard said an anti-Semitic slur during a Twitch stream". USA Today. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  53. ^ Cooke, Hunter (March 9, 2021). "FaZe Clan 'cutting ties' with NBA player Meyers Leonard over use of anti-Semitic slur during Warzone stream". Dot Esports.
  54. ^ Smith, Noah (March 15, 2021). "Meyers Leonard slur incident prompts a question: What's a FaZe 'member'?". Washington Post. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  55. ^ Kalland, Robby (March 10, 2021). "Meyers Leonard Claimed He 'Didn't Know' What The Slur He Used Meant". UPROXX.

External links

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