Sportsטי ג'יי ליף

T. J. Leaf

T. J. Leaf is an Israeli-American basketball player who was selected 18th by the Indiana Pacers in the 2017 NBA draft and plays for Maccabi Tel Aviv.

born 1997First-round pick in 2017 NBA draftOne season at UCLAPlaying for Israel's national teams

Born: 30 April 1997, Tel Aviv
Occupation: basketball player
Education: University of California, Los Angeles, Foothills Christian Schools

T. J. Leaf was born in 1997 in Tel Aviv

Leaf was born in Tel Aviv to Karen and Brad Leaf. His father played professional basketball in Israel for 17 years. The family moved to the San Diego area in California, where Leaf grew up.

He attended Foothills Christian High School in El Cajon, where his father coached him. He was named a McDonald's All-American in his senior year. He finished high school with 3,022 points and 1,476 rebounds.

Leaf played one season for UCLA in 2016-17 and averaged 16.3 points per game. He was named first-team All-Pac-12. In 2015 he played for Israel's Under-18 team, which reached the final of the European Division B championship and moved up to Division A.

He spent three seasons with the Indiana Pacers. In November 2020 he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, which released him in December. He signed with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2021 and later joined Maccabi Tel Aviv.