Meyers Leonard – Bio, Wife, Brother, Family, Other Facts You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Meyers Leonard is a young American basketball center for the Portland Trail Blazers. Growing up in a loving family but blighted by life ills from an early age, he went on to carve out a career in pro basketball. He started with high school teams and then to college before the NBA Draft and finally professional basketball.

Meyers Leonard’s Bio

Meyers Leonard was born on February 27, 1992, in Woodridge, Virginia. He was brought up in southern Illinois in a town called Robinson. His mother, Tracie was an athlete and his dad, James was a golf pro. Meyers was just six years old when his father passed away after being involved in a bicycle accident. After the death of his dad, an old horseback injury which resulted in disc surgery for his mother began to play up, virtually incapacitating her.

The severity of the situation left Meyers in need of a father figure. Brian Siler who also lives in Robinson and had a son of the same age as Meyers took up the role, providing guidance for the young Meyers.

Leonard attended Robinson High School and was in the school’s basketball team where he started out as a guard. He would later be converted to a center after what some referred to as “something of a basketball anomaly” when he had a six-inch growth spurt. Leonard was named as part of the 2010 Illinois All-State Team. After his high school days, he opted to play collegiate basketball at the University of Illinois.

In his freshman year, Leonard averaged 2.1 points and 1.2 rebounds per game in 8.2 minutes per game. By the next year, he was selected to be a part of Team USA in the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championships. As a sophomore, Leonard was named Big 10 Co-Player of the Week twice and at the end of the season was named Honorable Mention All-Big 10.

When the 2012 NBA Draft came along, Leonard Meyers was the 11^th overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers, he has stuck with them ever since. After he signed his rookie contract, he made his NBA debut against the Los Angeles Lakers scoring four points. His first career start was against the Phoenix Suns and he finished the game with 12 points and 5 rebounds. In the couple of seasons that followed, Leonard had a tough time in terms of game time on the court, performances, and injury. He would, however, turn his fortunes around and be re-signed by the Portland Trail Blazers on a four-year, $41 million contract.

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Brother, Family

Leonard’s dad, James was a golf pro and his mother is Tracie Leonard. Meyers was raised along with two siblings, Chris and Bailey. After the death of their father and the health situation that befell their mother, Meyers’ elder brother, Bailey set out to join the marines to help support the family. There was a video of Bailey and Meyers back in 2012 that basically broke the internet.

Meyers Leonard tweeted an emotional video wherein his older brother, Bailey who he had not seen in two years paid him a surprise visit. Bailey had been in Afghanistan and had missed his little brother’s rise to stardom so he came home to watch him play. After a game versus Michigan, Bailey showed up during practice to surprise Meyers who broke down in tears when he saw him. The pair had grown to be inseparable after their dad died.

Wife

Meyers Leonard is married to Elle Bielfeldt. Meyers met Elle when he was in his freshman year. They studied together a couple of times and soon they were dating. The pair were together for nearly three years before they got engaged. When asked what he thinks of Elle, Meyers believes that he has “struck gold”. The couple was wed at the Oregon Golf Club.

Other Facts You Need to Know

• At the time of their wedding, Elle and Meyers were the first to tie the knot amongst their friends.
• Their dog, Bella was the ring bearer at their wedding
• Meyers has three cities that he loves while with the NBA – Los Angeles, Chicago, and Indianapolis.
• Meyers still has the Barbie Princess backpack he was made to carry in his rookie year
• His parents named him Meyers which is commonly a last name as his first because it was his father’s mother’s maiden name

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.