Meyers Patrick Leonard was born on February 27,1992 and is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association.
31 Facts About Meyers Leonard
2.
Meyers Leonard 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.
3.
Meyers Leonard reached the NBA Finals with the Heat in 2020.
4.
When he was in second grade, the young Meyers Leonard gained a surrogate family.
5.
Meyers Leonard regularly attended the Silers' church and went on family vacations.
6.
Meyers Leonard entered high school as a guard, but was converted to center after a six-inch growth spurt between his freshman and sophomore years.
7.
In high school, Meyers 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.
8.
Meyers Leonard led Robinson High School to the IHSA class 2A state championship before choosing to play collegiate basketball at the University of Illinois.
9.
Meyers 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.
10.
Meyers Leonard was 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.
11.
Meyers Leonard hosted Max Bielfeldt during his February 26 and 27,2011 official visit and met his sister Elle for the first time.
12.
Meyers Leonard was drafted with the 11th overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2012 NBA draft.
13.
On October 31,2012, Meyers Leonard made his NBA debut, logging 23 minutes and scoring four points against the Los Angeles Lakers.
14.
Meyers Leonard made his first career start on November 21,2012, against the Phoenix Suns, finishing with 12 points and 5 rebounds.
15.
Meyers 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.
16.
On November 15,2014, with LaMarcus Aldridge scratched with an upper respiratory illness against the Brooklyn Nets, Meyers Leonard picked up the start at power forward, playing 29 minutes.
17.
Meyers Leonard went on to pick up DNPs in 11 of the next 12 games.
18.
Meyers Leonard's improvement was incremental, but noticeable, over the following seven weeks.
19.
Meyers Leonard only saw six DNPs after the turn of the year, and grew in confidence despite limited minutes.
20.
Meyers Leonard 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.
21.
On December 1,2015, Meyers Leonard scored a season-high 23 points in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
22.
On July 10,2016, Meyers Leonard re-signed with the Trail Blazers on a four-year, $41 million contract.
23.
On July 6,2019, Meyers Leonard was traded to the Miami Heat in a four-team trade.
24.
Meyers Leonard started two games in the Finals when Bam Adebayo was injured.
25.
On March 9,2021, the Heat announced that Meyers 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.
26.
On March 17,2021, Meyers Leonard was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder with a 2027 second round pick for Trevor Ariza.
27.
Meyers Leonard was found to have nerve damage within the bottom half of his right leg.
28.
On February 22,2023, Meyers Leonard signed a 10-day contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.
29.
Meyers Leonard has two older brothers; Christian Juracich, who died in 2020 and Bailey Meyers Leonard, a former US Marine who has served in Afghanistan.
30.
On March 9,2021, Meyers Leonard received criticism for using the anti-jewish slur "kike" during a Twitch stream while playing Call of Duty: Warzone.
31.
Meyers Leonard later apologized for using the slur, stating that he did not know what it meant.