Former Heat Center Meyers Leonard Working His Way Back Into The NBA
Meyers Leonard's first year with Miami in 2019 was arguably the best of his career.
He had the most starts of his career (49), most rebounds (5.1), third-most assists (1.1) and second-most points (6.1). Leonard only played three games in the 2020-21 season after getting season-ending surgery on his left shoulder.
Leonard was then suspended from the NBA in March of 2021 for using an Anti-Semitic slur during a livestream on the Twitch gaming service. The Heat later traded him to Oklahoma City.
Since, he has been quiet in the NBA world, with many believing that it was his suspension keeping him out of the light. However, Leonard spoke about his battle with injuries on Twitter.
“God is good,” Leonard said in the tweet. “People often say that everything in life happens for a reason. My health. Physically, mentally, and emotionally were all at an all-time low over the last 12+ months. But, that’s life. It’s time to lock back in. With immense gratitude, God Bless you all!”
Leonard had surgery on his right ankle in April of 2021, but it was unlike the normal procedures. There was nerve damage within the bottom half of his right leg and was presented with the possibility of never playing basketball again.
However, he was able to regain his form through rehabilitation and training. Leonard stated that he will be back to 100% in a few months and says that teams have been reaching out to him.
“As everybody in the room knows, there’s plenty of NBA teams who want me and that I could be playing for right now,” Leonard said in the Chicago Tribune interview. “I’m just not healthy enough. Did the incident help my case? No. But this time to heal? Yes.”
Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant
