TJ Leaf is an American-Israeli basketball player. TJ Leaf plays for the Chinese Basketball Association’s Guangzhou Loong Lions (CBA). With the 18th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, he was selected by the Indiana Pacers.
TJ also competed in the 2015 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship B Division for Israel’s Under-18 junior national team.
TJ is the second Israeli player in NBA history, following Omri Casspi, who was drafted 23rd overall by Sacramento in 2009.
Table of Contents
Childhood, Early Career, and Family
TJ Leaf was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, on April 30, 1997.
Brad Leaf and Karen Leaf were his parents when he was born.
Talia Leaf Fitzgerald is his sister, and Troy Leaf and Trent Leaf are his brothers.
Brad Leaf is a basketball player as well. When T.J. was born, he was actually playing professional basketball in Israel.
In a tennis class at the University of Evansville, he met his wife, Karen.
T.J. was born in Israel and lived there for the first two years of his life before relocating to the United States.
Brad Leaf, like T.J., was drafted by the Indiana Pacers. In 1982, he was drafted in the seventh round.
He also played for the Continental Basketball Association’s La Crosse Catbirds (CBA).
Brad Leaf played in Israel for 17 years. In 1999, the family relocated to San Diego, California.
When T.J. and Troy, his eldest son, were young, Brad Leaf coached them.
Prior to high school, he also coached T.J. in summer leagues.
He wanted T.J. to be as versatile as the big men he had battled against as a pro in Europe.
Height
TJ Leaf’s height is 6 feet 10 inches tall.
Facts of TJ Leaf
| Full name | Ty Jacob Leaf |
| Popular name | T.J. Leaf |
| Birthdate | April 30, 1997 |
| Birthplace | Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv District, Israel |
| Nationality | IsraeliAmerican |
| Horoscope | Taurus |
| Age | 25 Years Old |
| Father’s name | Brad Leaf |
| Mother’s name | Karen Leaf |
| Sibling | 3 (a sister and two brothers) |
| Sibli ng’s name | Talia Leaf Fitzgerald, Troy Leaf, and Trent Leaf |
| Education | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Marital status | Unmarried |
| Relationship status | Committed |
| Girlfriend’s name | Julia Reynolds Mills |
| Children | None |
| Height | 6 feet 10 inches (208.28 cm) |
| Weight | 102 kgs (225 lbs.) |
| Body type | Athletic |
| Eye Color | Light Brown |
| Hair Color | Brown |
| Profession | Basketball player |
| Position | Small forward/Power forward |
| Current Affiliation | National Basketball Association (NBA) |
| NBA Debut | 2017 |
| Plays for | Guangzhou Loong Lions |
| Contract | $7,249,200 with the Indiana Pacers |
| Net worth | $5 million |
| Social media | Facebook, Instagram, Twitter |
| Indiana Pacers’ Merch | Books, Jersey |
| Last Update | May 2022 |
Salary and Net Worth
TJ Leaf’s net worth has been estimated at $5 million.
In 2017, he signed a three-year contract with the Indiana Pacers worth $7,249,200. Leaf would receive $4,326,825 if his fourth-year option was exercised.
He is currently in his early twenties and earning a nice salary. For his vacations, the leaf is frequently observed traveling around different parts of the country.
Basketball Education and High School Career
T.J. Leaf attended El Cajon, California’s Foothills Christian High School. He had been playing basketball since elementary school and was coached by his father.
In his junior year, he averaged 27.4 points, 14.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.8 steals, and 2.7 blocks per game.
Foothills Christian High School’s presence at the San Diego Section Division II championship was made possible by him.
T.J. was also voted Division II State Player of the Year by Cal-Hi Sports.
In his senior year, he led the squad to a No. 3 state ranking by averaging 28.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists.
He also set a season-high with 44 points. They did, however, lose to Chino Hills.
T.J. was also named to the McDonald’s and Ballislife All-American teams, as well as second-team All-USA by USA Today. He also finished second behind Ball in the California Mr. Basketball competition.
In both points and rebounds, he finished his high school career second all-time in the San Diego Section. He finished the season with 3,022 points and 1,476 rebounds.
However, he trailed his brother Troy in points (3,318 from 2007 to 2010 at Foothills Christian) and Angelo Chol in rebounds (1,732 with Hoover from 2008 to 2011).
College Basketball Career
Leaf enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
He did, however, commit to playing for Arizona in 2014 under coach Sean Miller.
Under the tutelage of coach Miller, he had also tried out for the US under-19 national team. T.J., on the other hand, was released from a training camp in June 2015.
In August 2015, he abandoned his Arizona commitment.
He then committed to UCLA. Leaf was approached by Oregon and San Diego State, but he selected UCLA over both.
Leaf was a consensus five-star recruit and a top-20 overall prospect for UCLA.
His Compton Magic friends Ike Anigbogu and Kobe Paras, who were also linked with UCLA, accompanied him.
Lonzo Ball was also recruited by the UCLA Bruins. In 2016–17, UCLA was anticipated to make a comeback led by Ball and Leaf.
On December 5, 2016, TJ had 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists against Kentucky. He was selected Pac-12 Player of the Week as a result.
TJ and Lonzo Ball were both named to the John R. Wooden Award midseason watch list. It is given to the best college player in the country every year.
UCLA was also one of only five schools on the list with two candidates.
Leaf and Ball were both named to the Naismith College Player of the Year midseason watch list, which included 30 players.
UCLA
On February 1, 2017, Leaf set a career-high with 32 points on 14-for-18 shooting and 14 rebounds in a 95–79 win over Washington State.
UCLA had been on a two-game losing slide before his performance.
T.J. Leaf, on the other hand, was forced to miss the regular-season finale due to a sprained left ankle.
He was hurt just five minutes into the last game versus Washington.
With 16.3 points per game, he finished the season as UCLA’s leading scorer.
Leaf averaged 8.2 rebounds per game. He was also third among Power Five conference players in field goal percentage (61.7).
In addition, the Associated Press (AP) named him to their All-American team.
Along with teammates Lonzo Ball and Bryce Alford, Leaf was selected first-team All-Pac-12.
Leaf and Ball were both named to the Pac-12 Freshman All-Star team.
On March 30, 2017, Leaf stated that he would be leaving UCLA to enter the 2017 NBA Draft.
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Indiana Pacers
T.J. was selected 18th overall in the first round of the 2017 NBA draft by the Indiana Pacers.
The Indiana Pacers offered him a three-year contract worth $7,249,200.
He was a regular in the Pacers’ rotation to start the 2017–18 season.
2017-8 Season
Through the first eight games of the 2017–18 season, Leaf averaged 16.2 minutes and five shots per game.
However, he struggled on defense, which severely limited his playing time.
Nate McMillan, the coach of the Indiana Pacers, therefore had to tighten his rotation.
Leaf was sent to the NBA G League’s Fort Wayne Mad Ants in December 2017.
The NBA G League, also known as the G League, is the NBA’s official minor league basketball organization.
Leaf averaged 23.3 points and 8.3 rebounds over the course of three games.
After that, he returned to the Indiana Pacers.
During the regular season, he appeared in 52 games for the Indiana Pacers.
With the Pacers qualifying for the playoffs, he had limited playing time towards the end of the season.
2018-19 Season
TJ’s role on the court was restricted in the 2018-19 season, as he was sandwiched between Myles Turner, Domantas Sabonis, Thaddeus Young, and Kyle O’Quinn, all of whom are big players.
On February 28, 2019, he set a career-high with 18 points in a season-high 22 minutes.
The Minnesota Timberwolves were defeated 122–115.
Because Turner and O’Quinn got into foul trouble guarding the Wolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns, Leaf had to enter the game early.
In addition, in the regular-season finale, he set a career-high with 28 points and 10 rebounds.
The Atlanta Hawks were defeated by 135–134.
2019-20 Season
During the offseason leading up to the 2019–20 season, Leaf worked on improving his jump shooting.
On November 3, 2019, he scored 13 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds while playing additional time as a backup center.
The Warriors defeated the Chicago Bulls 108–95. T.J. Leaf, on the other hand, was dropped from the rotation at the end of November.
Leaf’s career statistics are available on the basketball reference page.
2021
TJ signed a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers after leaving the Indiana Pacers.
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National Team Career
Leaf was cut from the United States Under-19 youth national team by Coach Miller in 2015.
A month later, in July, he joined Israel’s under-18 junior national team.
He then represented Israel in the 2015 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship Division B in Austria.
In the Division B final, Israel was defeated 73–72. Leaf was nevertheless selected the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP).
In nine games, he averaged 16.1 points per game on 55 percent shooting and 8.4 rebounds per game.
T.J. Leaf is excited to play for Israel’s senior team as well.
He stated that one of his career goals is to play for Israel’s senior national team and assist the players.
On ESPN’s website, you can see a summary of Leaf’s basketball career.
Girlfriend
Julia Reynolds Mills and TJ Leaf are in a relationship.
On July 10, 2020, he shared a gorgeous photo of them together for the first time on Instagram.
