“I brag about him more than he probably brags about me.”
Meyers Leonard lit up when telling a room full of service members about his older brother, Bailey, during a special visit to the Trail Blazers’ practice facility coordinated by the team and USO Northwest during the NBA’s Hoops for Troops Week. The elder Leonard brother served two tours in Afghanistan with the United States Marine Corps.
“It’s very easy for me to recognize the ultimate sacrifices they’re making,” Leonard shares his admiration for members of the military. “I get to play a game that I love every single day, I’m very blessed to be able to do that. There are people in the armed forces putting their lives on the line every day. I have such an appreciation for all branches of the military, obviously, with my brother being a Marine.
“It’s incredible the true sacrifices they make on a daily basis, really.”
Bailey, 22 months older than Meyers, helped raise his younger brother along with their mother, Tracie, in Robinson, Ill. after their father suddenly passed away when Meyers was just six years old. Then, while Meyers was still in high school, the most prominent male figure in his life enlisted in the Marine Corps and left for boot camp.
Though he recognized and respected his older brother’s sacrifice, Meyers described Bailey’s tenure serving as “tough times,” wondering if his brother was safe on the other side of the world during wartime.
“I remember when he left for boot camp, I went into my room and cried like a baby,” Meyers recalled. “I didn’t know what it was going to feel like, but as soon as he left, I knew I was going to miss him. I knew he was going to do what he had to do and what he thought was right. I always wanted him to be right by my side, so it was different having him leave for good.”
He continued, “We did our best to communicate. Every now and then, he’d have wifi and we could message back and forth. At the time, I had just gotten a cell phone. Any time I saw a really crazy number, I’d try to do my best to slip out of class (to answer). I was constantly thinking about him and a little bit worried about him, just because he was putting his life on the line.”
While Bailey served in Afghanistan, Meyers helped Robinson High School to the 2009 Illinois 2A State Championship. Meyers’ athleticism and shooting ability made him a five-star recruit, eventually enrolling at the University of Illinois.
Following Meyers’ accolades from afar served as a source of pride for Bailey. Taking the court with his brother on his mind, Meyers felt he was doing his part to help his older brother feel connected during wartime.
“We were going through our State Championship run in high school, and being able to have people send him clippings of what was going on so he could follow what my team and I were doing on that great run,” Meyers explained. “ And then going to college, he’s always been a fan of me and the university as well, for him to be able to follow that and get excitement out of that is a great thing. I think it helped him during the tough times over in Afghanistan.”
Bailey opted out of a third tour in Afghanistan to help raise his family back in Robinson and was by his brother’s side when Meyers was drafted 11th overall by the Trail Blazers in the 2012 NBA Draft.
Three years later, Meyers still takes the court with Bailey inspiring him to this day, taking the lessons he learned from his older brother near and dear to his heart.
“The amazing thing to me was every time I step on to the court, he naturally gives me inspiration to be the best that I can be. That’s one thing — the only thing — he’s ever asked of me: to give my all and be a really good person. He was serving our country, and I’m playing a game that I love.
“He’s always taught me to show respect and give it my all, no matter what.”