# Leonard Miller (basketball)

Leonard Miller (born November 26, 2003) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played for the NBA G League Ignite.

## Early life and high school career

Leonard Miller was born in Scarborough, Ontario, and played basketball, volleyball and golf during his childhood. He played basketball for Bill Crothers Secondary School in Markham, Ontario, for grade 9 from 2017 to 2018 and transferred to Thornlea Secondary School in Thornhill, Ontario, for grade 10, where he helped the team win the National Junior Circuit title in March 2019. Miller transferred to Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah, to face stronger competition but received limiting playing time. He transferred to Victory Rock Prep in Bradenton, Florida, before missing several months with a broken right wrist in November 2020 that required surgery. Miller opted to play a postgraduate season at Fort Erie International Academy in Fort Erie, Ontario after growing 6-4 guard to 6-10 guard/wing over an 18 month period , and had no college offers at the time he made the decision. He became the team's star player and received over 25 offers from college programs. Miller led Fort Erie to an Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association title and was named league most valuable player. He was selected to play for the World Team in the Nike Hoop Summit. On April 23, 2022, he declared for the 2022 NBA draft. On June 13, 2022, he withdrew from the draft and decided to play with the NBA G League Ignite for the next season.

### Recruiting

Miller was considered a five-star recruit by Rivals and was ranked as the 2nd ranked prospect by On3.com despite playing in Canada with On3 ranking him first with the highest upside in the recruiting class. On May 31, 2022, he announced that he would pursue professional options instead of playing college basketball.

## Professional career
### NBA G League Ignite (2022–2023)

On September 7, 2022, Miller signed a contract with the NBA G League Ignite. He was named to the G League's inaugural Next Up Game for the 2022–23 season.

### Minnesota Timberwolves / Iowa Wolves (2023–present)

Miller was drafted in the second round of the 2023 NBA draft with the 33rd overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs. He was then traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves on draft night. He made his summer league debut in Las Vegas on July 7, 2023. The Timberwolves announced they had signed Miller to a contract on July 9 of that year. Throughout his rookie and sophomore seasons, he has been assigned several times to the Iowa Wolves.

## National team career

Miller won a silver medal with Canada at the 2019 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Brazil, averaging 4.2 points per game.

## Career statistics
### NBA
#### Regular season

| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 2023–24 | Minnesota | 17 | 0 | 3.1 | .650 | .400 | .500 | 1.2 | .5 | .1 | .1 | 1.7 |
| Career | Career | 17 | 0 | 3.1 | .650 | .400 | .500 | 1.2 | .5 | .1 | .1 | 1.7 |

#### Playoffs

| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 2024 | Minnesota | 3 | 0 | 2.3 | .000 | .000 | — | 1.3 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Career | Career | 3 | 0 | 2.3 | .000 | .000 | — | 1.3 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |

### NBA G League

| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 2022–23 | NBA G League | 14 | 11 | 28.1 | .500 | .275 | .793 | 8.6 | 1.6 | 1.2 | .6 | 15.1 |
| 2023–24 | Iowa | 12 | 11 | 26.7 | .528 | .327 | .933 | 6.4 | 1.9 | .8 | .9 | 16.2 |
| Career | Career | 26 | 22 | 27.4 | .513 | .305 | .841 | 7.6 | 1.7 | 1.0 | .8 | 15.6 |

## Personal life

Miller's older brother, Emanuel, played college basketball for Texas A&M and TCU and currently plays on a two-way contract for the Chicago Bulls.