Miami Heat big man Meyers Leonard has made a name for himself. His vlogs and videos of shotgunning beer have been viral sensations coming out of the bubble. It’s almost the only thing anyone can talk about. However, Leonard has shared his more sensitive side while speaking to the media ahead of the restart on July 30.

Leonard was asked about the challenges of being away from his wife, and he gave quite a candid response.

“It is a weird feeling. I’m going to miss my wife and my anniversary on August 2nd. I love my wife dearly, I’m used to spending quite a bit of time with her and it’s the first time we’ve been apart like this since our entire relationship. So it’s very different for me. Admittedly, I talk about embracing the stock and what it’s going to be like being in this bubble. Committing to the team and doing whatever it takes to mentally lock-in and be there every day. I’ve had to wake up a couple of mornings and really force myself to focus and understand the task at hand.”

He continued “I have had to really focus and lock in, so it has been tough. I don’t know what it’s been like for other guys, but UD (Udonis Haslem) and I had a quick conversation like ‘man I miss my wife’ ‘me too’. It’s almost like a piece of you is missing, but you have to do your best to lock in and do your job”

Miami Heat, Meyers Leonard and their bubble goals

The Miami Heat are currently 4th in the Eastern Conference. They will be fending off fifth seed Indiana and sixth seed Philadelphia to keep that spot in the bubble. Their team is in their first year with Jimmy Butler as their leader, with a young core of Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, and Kendrick Nunn forming around them.

The Heat missed the playoffs last year and haven’t competed at the highest level since their Finals loss to the San Antonio Spurs in 2014. Pat Riley has built a strong team that seems positioned to take a big leap in the next two years.