Provocative NBA Veteran Center Calls It A Career

Meyers Leonard announced that he is retiring from the NBA after an 11-year professional career that took him to the peak of competition in the NBA Finals in 2020 with the Miami Heat and the valley of controversy with his anti-Semitic remarks on a video game stream. Leonard was selected with the 11th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Portland Trailblazers out of Illinois and spent the majority of his career there before making two other stops in Miami and Milwaukee.

Leonard started his public life as a basketball player during his collegiate career at the University of Illinois as a local product from southeast Illinois. In his sophomore season, Leonard and his teammates took the Fighting Illini to the NCAA Tournament where they were able to win a first-round game and re-establish Illinois as a stable basketball program. Leonard then jumped to the NBA where he became more widely-known for a scandal centered around an anti-Semitic slur he uttered on a video game stream. He has been out of the spotlight ever since.

Meyers Leonard Announces Retirement from NBA

NBA center Meyers Leonard announced his retirement from the NBA on Monday. The big man ends a career that spanned 11 years, three teams, and two controversies. After being selected by the Trailblazers with the 11th pick in the 2012 NBA Draft out of Illinois, Leonard spent seven seasons in Portland before being traded to the Miami Heat. Leonard became embroiled in a pair of controversies that hastened his exit from the Heat, and he wrapped up his playing career with the Milwaukee Bucks, a team he last played for in 2023.

Leonard announced his retirement in a social media post, saying, “I knew after the Milwaukee season that I couldn’t play basketball anymore. It was the hardest decision I never had to make — because my body made it for me. At first, I wasn’t planning to say anything. I figured people would assume as time passed. But what I’ve come to realize is that while my body told me to hang it up, my heart wasn’t ready.”

He went on in his post, writing, ” Leaving college early for the NBA gave me the opportunity to take care of my entire family. Leaving Portland for Miami gave me the chance to compete in the Finals and play the best basketball of my career. And now, leaving the NBA has given me the greatest blessing of all — the chance to be the father I never had, to fall asleep next to my beautiful wife every night, and to spend time with the most important people in my life… I love and appreciate you more than you’ll ever know. Cheers to the next chapter.”

Leonard entered the NBA Draft after his sophomore season in college at the University of Illinois. He changed his play style as he developed in the NBA. Leonard played in various roles off the bench during his seven years with the Portland Trailblazers, having his best year in the 2015-16 season when he played over 21 minutes per game, averaging 8.4 points and 5.1 rebounds on 45/38/76 shooting splits. Leonard signed a deal with the Miami Heat after the 2018-19 season and soon became the object of scrutiny during a tumultuous time in the NBA.

Controversial Time in Miami for Leonard

The heights of Meyers Leonard’s career came in Miami with the Heat, where he was able to participate in the NBA Finals in the bubble. On the Heat’s path to their matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers, Leonard stood out as the only player on Miami who chose to stand for the national anthem, citing his brother’s service in Afghanistan as his main reason for choosing to stand. While he maneuvered his way around some of the questions that were asked of him with his stance on the anthem protests, he was unable to escape the swarm that came with the second newsworthy event of his Miami career.

The blemish that Leonard is most well-known for in his NBA career was the incident in 2021 when he uttered an anti-Semitic slur on a Twitch stream. While playing “Call of Duty: War Zone”, Leonard said, “F****** cowards, don’t f****** snipe me you f****** k*** b****.” The outburst caught the attention of his streaming audience, the Miami Heat organization, the NBA, and Leonard’s sponsors.

In the wake of the backlash he received for using the slur, Leonard responded, “My ignorance about its history and how offensive it is to the Jewish community is absolutely not an excuse and I was just wrong. I am now more aware of its meaning and I am committed to properly seeking out people who can help educate me about this type of hate and how we can fight it.”

NBA and Miami Heat Address Issue

The Miami Heat and NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed the comment at the time, with the Heat coming out to say, “The words used by Meyers Leonard were wrong, and we will not tolerate hateful language from anyone associated with our franchise. To hear it from a Miami Heat player is especially disappointing and hurtful to all those who work here, as well as the larger South Florida, Miami Heat and NBA communities.”

Commissioner Silver chimed in, saying, “Meyers Leonard’s comment was inexcusable and hurtful and such an offensive term has no place in the NBA or in our society. We accept that he is genuinely remorseful.”

The ordeal cost Leonard a pair of sponsorships with video game and computer companies, Origin PC and Astro Gaming.

Leonard was largely finished as a professional basketball player after the scandal. He battled a shoulder injury during the 2021-22 season; the Heat traded him and a draft pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Trevor Ariza, who immediately released him. The Milwaukee Bucks brought him in on a ten-day contract during the 2022-23 season and made it a full-time deal after it expired, but Leonard barely saw the floor and was not retained after the year. He was out of work since the end of that season and now officially ends a lucrative yet controversial NBA career.

Final Thoughts

When Meyers Leonard arrived in Champaign, he had a lot of fanfare. The big man from Robinson High School had skyrocketed up the recruiting rankings after growing half a foot and leading his team to a state championship, creating a lot of expectations for his career with Illinois. He got off to a slow start but got better as he developed on the college level. It was a similar story for him in the NBA. Leonard came in with tons of hype as the 11th overall pick and underwhelmed with his play, but he stuck around longer than I expected.

The run-ins with controversy marred somebody who had previously had an outstanding reputation and, by all accounts, was a stand-up individual. Since the ordeal, Leonard has been reserved and out of the spotlight, focusing on family. I will always remember him for the Twitch incident, but I wish it could be for just his play on the basketball court. He made a remarkable change with his play style from Illinois to the NBA, going from a low post, back to the basket threat to a floor spacing perimeter weapon in a very short period of time.

If this is the last we see or hear from Meyers Leonard, at least he enjoyed a long NBA career that set him and his family up for a successful and comfortable life. Leonard and his wife, Elle, who he met while he was playing at Illinois, just announced that they are expecting their second child. All the best to Meyers and his loved ones. Thank you for what you did at Illinois, and I hope the NBA turmoil turned you into a better, wiser person who can do good for others in your post-playing career.