When you think of Meyers Leonard, some obvious descriptors come to mind: Illinois basketball star, NBA lottery pick and 10-year NBA career. But country music singer? That’s a big deviation from the path Leonard has been on over the last 15 years. His recent retirement from basketball, however, has opened up time for Leonard to explore a new passion.
“Good in Goodbye” is the title of Leonard’s first song. Leonard used it as his goodbye to the NBA when he announced his retirement on March 3, and to spread the message that there is always a positive in moving on in life. In the song, he said there was “good in goodbye” when he left his hometown, his school in the Midwest and finally, his NBA career for a family-focused life.
Leonard came to Champaign as a kid from Robinson, Illinois, where he had a tough upbringing. Leonard’s father passed away when he was six, and his mother was mostly homebound due to back issues that made it tough to work. Through all that, though, Leonard led his high school to a state championship his senior year and continued his journey to a bigger stage.
“I had to leave my hometown that believed in me, loved me just because I was Meyers,” Leonard said. “I wasn’t a big-time player or anything. They just loved me because my family was struggling. So there was good in goodbye because they wanted me to chase my dreams.”
Leonard found all the good he was looking for when he decided to move two hours north to Champaign. Yes, he turned into the No. 11 pick in the 2012 NBA draft, but Illinois gave Leonard much more than just the development to become a successful pro.
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Campus became the foundation of Leonard’s life. He met his wife, Elle, and gained some of the fondest memories of the sport he had played since he was a kid. Portland, Miami and Milwaukee were all places where Leonard eventually made millions, but Champaign remained the place that had the most meaning.
“I loved it here,” Leonard said. “I can’t tell you what it felt like to check in to, or go through starting lineups for the University of Illinois. I loved the NBA; I did. But there was something really special about this place to me.”
Illinois held such an important place in Leonard’s heart over the years that he decided to give back monetarily in 2022. Meyers and Elle donated $500,000 to the renovation and improvement of the Ubben Basketball Complex, the now state-of-the-art practice facility for both the men’s and women’s basketball teams.
The former Illini has also shown his support in person at his old stomping ground. He has been seen courtside multiple times in recent years, chugging beers and hyping up the players on the court after big plays.
“It has been such a pleasure getting to know Meyers and Elle; they are incredibly passionate individuals who love life, basketball and this University,” Director of Athletics Josh Whitman said in a press release after the donation. “Since leaving campus, they have been very generous with their time, often talking to our student-athletes about their experiences in professional sports and business. We are beyond grateful to them for championing our Illinois basketball program in such a meaningful way.”
Leonard’s love for the Illini community translates into his general attitude toward life: being a good person. Leonard explained that being able to tell his story and help others is a goal he’s had his entire career.
Now, that mission is not being accomplished through his reach as a basketball player but by the words and messages of his songs. The 7-foot-1 basketball star, known as “The Hammer,” delved into country music as a way to keep telling his story.
“When I was playing in the NBA, the community events almost meant more to me,” Leonard said. “What I mean by that is I love to compete, I love my teammates, I love the chemistry, I love all of it. But the ability to look out to 10 or 100 or 1,000 people when I’m telling my life story, and to see smiles, crying, all of the above, that’s what meant a lot to me. And so now, I’m trying to learn to turn those life experiences — good, sad, bad, everything in between — into country music.”
Other NBA stars have gotten into music, but mostly rap and hip-hop. Former Portland Trail Blazers teammate Damian Lillard has seen a lot of success as Dame D.O.L.L.A., doing songs with Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, 2 Chainz and more. Leonard hopes to find the same success in country music, and he’s working in Nashville with writers Caleb Mills and Steve Thomas to improve his writing, singing and guitar-playing.
Country music may be a brand new venture for Leonard, but so far, he’s had an almost seamless transition into the genre — at least from the outside looking in. He admits, though, that going from basketball to music has not been easy whatsoever.
“I had never sang in my life,” Leonard said. “In fact, I still barely sing in front of Elle because, truthfully, I’m a perfectionist. I want to sound good. I’m OK, I can carry a tune a little better than I once did. I never played an instrument. I have no dancing rhythm. But I just fell in love with it.”
“Good in Goodbye” was just the beginning for Leonard. He recently released his second single, “Honky Tonk at Home,” at the end of March. The song is more upbeat than Leonard’s first release, but it still has the same personal storytelling that he hopes to convey through his writing.
For anyone skeptical of Leonard’s new path, he’s not planning on slowing down anytime soon.
“I’ve got 20 songs done,” Leonard said. “I fully plan on releasing a song a month until the end of the year and probably dropping an album in the first month of 2026. Anything I do, I take it very seriously.”
Just like with basketball, Leonard is putting his all into his new journey. Basketball allowed him to support his family and guarantee a comfortable future for them. But it doesn’t mean that with country music, Leonard is going to take it easy. If anything, his family and spending more time with them are inspirations for his writing and music career.
“I feel just insanely blessed and grateful,” Leonard said. “My baby boy Liam is two and a half, going to be three in June. My wife’s pregnant and due in May: May 8. Just trying to live life, love the people that I love and write good country music songs.”
@sahil_mittal24
