Meyers Leonard NBA Profile | Follow @MeyersLeonard11
Former Fighting Illini Meyers Leonard returned to campus on Tuesday, spending some time in his old stomping grounds with the current Illinois squad. The seven-year NBA veteran and currently member of the Miami Heat spoke to the team candidly about his experiences at the next level. Leonard also got in a workout with strength and conditioning coach Adam Fletcher and some of the Fighting Illini players.Â
Leonard spent his first seven NBA seasons in Portland before being traded to Miami this past summer. Leonard's 2018-19 NBA season ended on a high note with a career performance against the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.
The big man averaged 5.9Â points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2Â assists in 61 games (2Â starts) during the regular season, while shooting 54.5 percent from the field, 45.0 percent from three, and 84.3 percent from the free throw line. It was his fourth career 50-40-80 shooting percentage season, something only three other players in NBA history have done.Â
In the postseason, Leonard stepped up his game, averaging 7.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in 11 playoff appearances while helping the Trail Blazers to the Western Conference Finals. In Portland's final game of the season, an OT loss in Game 4 of the WCF, Leonard exploded for a career-high 30 points, 12 rebounds, hitting 12-of-16 from the field and 5-of-8 from three against the defending champs. He scored 25 of his 30 in the first half. In game three, Leonard went for 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting.Â
Leonard was the 11th overall pick by Portland in the 2012 NBA Draft after playing two seasons at Illinois. He has earned over $39 million in his first seven NBA seasons, all in Portland, and has one year left on his current contract. He's set to earn over $11 million in 2019-20 under the deal. Â
