The Orlando bubble was a humbling memory for some and a stumbling experience for the others. For the Miami Heat, it was a sweet-bitter blend of both. They outperformed many favorites but ultimately lost the finals. But what was it like for Meyers Leonard who was playing his debut season with the Heat?

In the 2019 off-season, the Blazers traded Meyers to the Miami Heat and received Hassan Whiteside. The 7-footer Meyers gave seven seasons to the Blazers before taking his services to Erik Spoelstra’s unit. If Meyers was to look back at this decision, it is highly unlikely that he would regret it. 

The Miami Heat center’s bubble experience

Talking to the Illini Inquirer, Leonard revealed, “I had some serious struggle. Right at the brink of COVID happening, I got hurt, and it was a significant injury. Spo [Heat coach Erik Spoelstra] and I basically sat down once I got to the bubble, and he was like, ‘Meyers, you have to have grace with yourself. You still have some time to heal. It’s just going to take time.’ Dealing with the injury and knowing that I wasn’t going to play and essentially lost my starting role was really hard.” 

This was the same Meyers Leonard who scored 7 points in the 13 minutes for which he played in Game 3. After Bam Adebayo and more specifically, Goran Dragic’s injury, it was important for him to show up. 

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Moving forward, Meyers spoke about how much he missed his wife Elle Bielfeldt during those 95 days. The star expressed, “Not having my wife was a significant impact. I’m a homebody. I go to the arena in Miami to train, play games, and then come home. That’s just what it is. I love my wife to death.” 

Leonard lost his father at the tender age of six and had to struggle with other personal issues for most of his life. Hence, now that he is earning in multi-millions today, he is more about giving and not just taking.

Meyers Leonard, his love for the military, and his message to kids

Not many people know this, but Meyers Leonard has a brother who has served with the US Marines in Afghanistan. It is no wonder that Meyers has such a powerful connection with Navy SEALs and remains so attached to the men in combat.

Meyers detailed, “Then lastly was the anthem. That was a difficult decision. I knew in my heart for the most part the entire way through that I needed to stand because of my brother and because of my very strong connection with the military.”

Meyers also runs a charity foundation that goes by his name. The proud American even spoke about his meeting with a Navy SEAL Team Six operator and added, “Their [military] selfless mindset and the fact that this guy [NAVY SEAL Team Six Operator] fought the worst of the worst, like life on the line we’re talking about pretty much every day. So that emotion and pain that I feel every day with the military is just what it is to me.” 

Speaking about his kids, the 28-year-old humbly said, “But for my kids, it’ll just be we made a Finals run, dad loved it, he did everything he could to help his team win, nobody was touching him in any sort of beer chug or beer shotgun.”

The Miami Heat fought with bravery and forced game 6 on the big Lakers. They played most games with their second team, and the way they won two crucial games proved their soldier mentality.

Read also – ”There’s Mutual Interest”: Meyers Leonard Opens Up About His Expectations as An Unrestricted Free Agent