Meyers Patrick Leonard (born February 27, 1992) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the University of

Illinois Fighting Illini The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports. The University operates a number of athletic faci ...

before being selected by the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

with the 11th overall pick in the

2012 NBA draft The 2012 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2012, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Asso ...

. After spending his first seven seasons with the Trail Blazers, he was traded to the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

in the 2019 off-season. He reached the NBA Finals with the Heat in

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

Early life

Leonard, born in

Woodbridge, Virginia Woodbridge is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince William County, Virginia, United States, located south of Washington, D.C.. Bounded by the Occoquan and Potomac rivers, Woodbridge had 44,668 residents at the 2020 census. Woodbridge o ...

, grew up in

Robinson, Illinois Robinson is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,713 at the 2010 census, up from 6,822 in 2000. Geography Robinson is in the center of Crawford County at . Illinois Route 33 passes thro ...

, 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. 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 ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc. History Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...

'' 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 Michael Jerome Oher (; né Williams Jr.; born May 28, 1986) is a former American football offensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, primarily with the Baltimore Ravens. He played college football at t ...
, 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."

High school career

Leonard entered high school as a

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

, 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." In high school, Leonard was named a member of the 2010 Illinois All-State Team as selected by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

, ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'', ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago ...

'', '' News-Gazette'', and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association. Leonard led Robinson High School to the IHSA class 2A state championship before choosing to play collegiate basketball at the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...

College career

Illinois (2010–2012)

As a freshman at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

, Leonard averaged 2.1 points and 1.2 rebounds per game in 8.2 minutes per game for the

Fighting Illini The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports. The University operates a number of athletic faci ...

. Following the season he was invited to the June 17–24, 2011, 17-man tryouts for the 12-man

FIBA Under-19 World Championship The FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup (formerly FIBA Under-19 World Championship) is the under-19 men's world basketball championship organised by the International Basketball Federation ( FIBA). From its inauguration in 1979, until 2007, it was ...

team by USA Basketball. 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. As a sophomore in 2011–12, Leonard averaged 13.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. 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. 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. Following the season, Leonard was named Honorable Mention All Big-10. He then entered the NBA draft.

Professional career

Portland Trail Blazers (2012–2019)

Leonard was drafted with the 11th overall pick by the

in the

. On July 13 he signed his rookie scale contract with the Trail Blazers. On October 31, 2012, Leonard made his NBA debut, logging 23 minutes and scoring four points against the Los Angeles Lakers. He made his first career start on November 21, 2012, against the Phoenix Suns, finishing with 12 points and 5 rebounds. On March 30, 2013, he had a season-best game with 22 points and 10 rebounds in a loss to the Golden State Warriors. Meyers Leonard Blazers 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 Robin Byron Lopez (born April 1, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected with the 15th pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns, was trad ...

. 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. 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 Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populou ...

. 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 Christopher Zane Kaman (born April 28, 1982) is a German-American former professional basketball player. Kaman stands 7'0" (2.13 m) and played the center position. He was selected sixth overall in the first round of the 2003 NBA draft by the Los ...

. On November 15, 2014, with LaMarcus Aldridge scratched with an upper respiratory illness against the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The ...

, 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 The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

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 Steve Nash-like 50/40/90 season, shooting 51% from the field, 42% from three-point range, and 93% from the free throw line. 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 The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

. He went on to record a playoff-best game with 13 points and 13 rebounds in a win over the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

in Game 4 of Portland's first-round series. The Blazers lost the series 4–1. On December 1, 2015, Leonard scored a season-high 23 points in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks. On March 24, 2016, he was ruled out for the rest of the season after injuring his left shoulder, requiring surgery. On July 10, 2016, Leonard re-signed with the Trail Blazers on a four-year, $41 million contract. On October 8, 2016, he was cleared for all practice activities, six months after undergoing surgery on his left shoulder. On December 23, 2016, he scored a season-high 16 points off the bench in a 110–90 loss to the Spurs. 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.

Miami Heat (2019–2021)

On July 6, 2019, Leonard was traded to the

in a four-team trade. The Heat reached the

2020 NBA Finals The 2020 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2019–20 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff series, the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Laker ...

, 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

announced that they had re-signed with Leonard. On February 2, 2021, it was reported that Leonard had undergone shoulder surgery and would miss the remainder of 2020–21 season. 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 Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle co ...

video game livestream session. The NBA suspended him for one week and fined him $50,000. On March 17, 2021, Leonard was traded to the

with a 2027 second round pick for

Trevor Ariza Trevor Anthony Ariza (born June 30, 1985) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He won an NBA championship in his first stint with the Lakers in 2009 ...

. 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. Leonard was released on March 25. In April 2021, he underwent an ankle surgery. Leonard was soon found to have nerve damage within the bottom half of his right leg. 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.

Milwaukee Bucks (2023–present)

On February 22, 2023, Leonard signed a 10-day contract with the

. On March 4, he signed a second 10-day contract with the Bucks. On March 14, he signed a contract to stay on the team the rest of the season.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 69 , , 9 , , 17.5 , , .545 , , .429 , , .809 , , 3.7 , , .5 , , .2 , , .6 , , 5.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 40 , , 0 , , 8.9 , , .451 , , .000 , , .762 , , 2.8 , , .5 , , .2 , , .1 , , 2.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 55 , , 7 , , 15.4 , , .510 , , .420 , , .938 , , 4.5 , , .6 , , .2 , , .3 , , 5.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 61 , , 10 , , 21.9 , , .448 , , .377 , , .761 , , 5.1 , , 1.5 , , .1 , , .3 , , 8.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 74 , , 12 , , 16.5 , , .386 , , .347 , , .875 , , 3.2 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , .4 , , 5.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 33 , , 2 , , 7.7 , , .590 , , .423 , , .818 , , 2.1 , , .5 , , .2 , , .0 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 61 , , 2 , , 14.4 , , .545 , , .450 , , .843 , , 3.8 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , .1 , , 5.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, 51 , , 49 , , 20.3 , , .509 , , .414 , , .643 , , 5.1 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .3 , , 6.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 2 , , 9.7 , , .429 , , .429 , , .500 , , 2.3 , , .7 , , .0 , , .0 , , 3.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 447 , , 93 , , 16.0 , , .482 , , .390 , , .809 , , 3.9 , , .9 , , .2 , , .3 , , 5.6

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, style="text-align:left;", Portland , 4 , , 0 , , 2.3 , , .000 , , , , , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015 , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 5 , , 0 , , 21.2 , , .667 , , .769 , , .500 , , 6.6 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .4 , , 7.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

, style="text-align:left;", Portland , 3 , , 1 , , 10.3 , , .200 , , .000 , , , , 2.7 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , .7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

, style="text-align:left;", Portland , 2 , , 0 , , 4.0 , , 1.000 , , , , , , 2.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 4.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, style="text-align:left;", Portland , 11 , , 2 , , 15.5 , , .523 , , .424 , , .333 , , 3.6 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , .1 , , 7.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 2 , , 10.3 , , .625 , , .500 , , 1.000 , , .3 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .0 , , 4.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 28 , , 5 , , 12.7 , , .552 , , .481 , , .462 , , 3.1 , , .8 , , .2 , , .1 , , 5.3

College

, - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

, 33 , , 1 , , 8.2 , , .483 , , .000 , , .706 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , .2 , , .4 , , 2.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 29 , , 31.8 , , .584 , , .091 , , .732 , , 8.2 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , 1.9 , , 13.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", 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 The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...

who has served in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. In August 2015, Leonard married his long-time girlfriend. They founded a sports bar company called Level Foods together. The couple has one son. In April 2019, Leonard invested in

FaZe Clan FaZe Clan (formerly FaZe Sniping) is a professional esports and entertainment organization headquartered in Los Angeles, California, USA. Founded on May 30, 2010, the organization has players from around the world, across multiple games, i ...

as a content creator.

Controversy

On March 9, 2021, Leonard received criticism for using the anti-jewish slur "

kike The word ''kike'' () is an ethnic slur for a Jew. Etymology The earliest recorded use of the word dates to the 1880s.

" during a

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." The eSports organization

cut ties with him later that day, although he remained an investor. He later apologized for using the slur, stating that he did not know what it meant.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leonard, Meyers 1992 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from Illinois Centers (basketball) FaZe Clan players Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball players Miami Heat players Milwaukee Bucks players People from Robinson, Illinois Portland Trail Blazers draft picks Portland Trail Blazers players Power forwards (basketball) Twitch (service) streamers