Meyers Leonard, 2012 NBA Draft lottery pick, announces retirement with release of country song

Former NBA center Meyers Leonard has officially announced his retirement after 10 seasons. In a post on X, Leonard revealed he was stepping away from the game and did so with an accompanying country song about his basketball journey.

"This song is a thank you—to basketball, the fans, my teammates, my family, the organizations, and everyone who believed in a young kid from Robinson, Illinois," Leonard wrote. "I love and appreciate you more than you'll ever know. Cheers to the next chapter."

Leonard had a stellar sophomore season at the University of Illinois in 2011-12 in which he put together averages of 13.6 points and 8.2 rebounds. He ended up being selected with the No. 11 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. Leonard spent the first seven seasons of his professional career with Portland before being traded to the Miami Heat in a deal that centered around Jimmy Butler in 2019.

Leonard also was involved in controversy in the latter stages of his NBA career. The big man was fined $50,000 by the NBA and was suspended for a week after he made anti-Semitic comments during a livestream on Twitch. Shortly after the incident took place, Leonard was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder before ultimately being released by the team.

Leonard missed the entire 2021-22 season due to ankle surgery. In February 2023, Leonard was signed to two 10-day contracts before spending the remainder of the 2022-23 season with the Milwaukee Bucks. He hadn't played since that season wrapped up.