Bailey and Meyers Leonard are two brothers who share an unbreakable bond.
After tragically losing their father when they were both young, the two clung tight to each other and their mother through some of the toughest times.
They lived without furniture, electricity or water at one point, and all three were forced to sleep on the living room floor with only candles for light.
“With hardship, and getting through hardship, that only brings people closer together,” Bailey explains.
The incredible bond the brothers share was sewn together strong in the time that followed their father’s passing, and it changed Bailey’s role as an older brother:
“Despite me only being 22 months older than Meyers,” he explains, “I like to think of myself as somewhat of a fatherly figure to him.”
Bailey went on to join the Marine Corps, and Meyers was admittedly devastated.
“It was just a shock to me, I went in my room and cried,” Meyers recalls. “I had never not had my brother.”
Knowing that Bailey is in Afghanistan, fighting in the line of duty, it scares Meyers every day. But he says that his brother has always been there for him, even when they’re apart.
After not seeing each other for nine months while Bailey was on his second deployment overseas, an emotional reunion brought the brothers back together again. It’s one of those moments you just have to see for yourself.
In January, Meyers Leonard stepped away from basketball after 9 years in the NBA. He and his wife Ellie are expecting their first baby, a son, later this year. Bailey lives back in the brothers’ hometown of Robinson, Illinois.
In a 2020 interview with TNT, Bailey surprised his brother yet again as the brothers responded to what 9/11 has meant to both of them.
Bailey was 11 years old and Meyers just 6 when the World Trade Centers came crashing down on September, 11, 2001. The brothers’ late father’s birthday was that same day. Bailey was inspired to join the Marines.
One thing is for sure—the brothers’ bond has never been stronger.
