PORTLAND, Ore. — Chad Doing is the co-host of Rip City Drive on 620 AM and he's not afraid to voice his opinions on teams, sports news and players like former Portland Trail Blazers forward Meyers Leonard.
"For Meyers Leonard, I was always probably more critical of him than a lot of Blazers on the team because of the struggles, but also with the summer of 2016," Doing said.
That's when the Blazers signed Leonard to a 4 year, $41 million contract. He was traded last offseason to the Miami Heat as part of a four-team trade that brought Hassan Whiteside to Portland.
So when the Miami Heat were set to play the Blazers in early February, a tribute video welcoming Leonard back to Rip City was posted on Twitter.
Doing, retweeted with a sarcastic comment about Leonard coming back.
"My frustration came from, great they're giving Meyers a tribute video, but there are other players who were on the team last year that were more productive and are now gone, but no one's given them a tribute video," Doing said.
Meyers saw the tweet and commented back, calling Doing a loser and telling him to get a life.
That's just part of their history together. Doing has been vocal on the radio too, calling Leonard "garbage" and a "bum" in the past.
"The criticism's been there of his basketball. There's no question that Meyers Leonard is a terrific human being," Doing said.
That's what makes Leonard's next move and Doing's response all that much better.
Doing posted a happy birthday message on Twitter to his son Isaac. Isaac is a junior in high school and his favorite player is Meyers Leonard.
"Isaac is a big fan of American-made vehicles, especially Ford Trucks. Well he knew when Meyers was here in Portland, he drove a big Ford. Isaac loved that," Doing said.
Isaac and Leonard also share the same birthday. Leonard heard about this and sent a video message wishing Isaac a happy birthday and thanking him for being such a big fan of his.
"Isaac, what’s going on, buddy. It’s Meyers, here. First of all, I heard some pretty cool news today. Not only is it my birthday, but it’s your 17th birthday. So, I wanted to tell you happy birthday from me personally. Also, I just wanted to say thank you for being a fan of mine. It truly means the world to me." Leonard says in the video.
It didn't stop there.
Isaac has autism and recently had surgery to relieve pressure on the left side of his brain, which was causing headaches and seizures.
Meyers sent him words of support.
"And lastly, I know that you had surgery recently, and those times aren’t always easy, but I want to tell you to stay strong and keep believing in yourself, keep being a good person and keep working hard. See you later, buddy. Have a great night!"
Doing said the message brought him to tears.
"The fact that I had been so critical of him and he and I had exchanged words a couple of weeks ago. For him to take the time and express love and concern for my son, who is such a huge fan of his. I knew that that was going to transform his life," he said.
Doing said Isaac couldn't believe it.
"It just blew his mind and he was so happy to know that his favorite basketball player had reached out to him and communicated that to him," he said.
Doing reached out to Leonard on Twitter and asked for forgiveness.
Leonard saw that and replied back.
"It was kind of the situation where it was two people burying the hatchet, but the focus was more about giving love and care to someone who's in need, to someone like Isaac, which I thought was beautiful," Doing said.
Isaac was always a fan of Leonard's. Now, his dad is too and promises to not criticize him in the future.
"He's made an impact on me," Doing said, "All I can tell you is that he's done something that goes far beyond sports by making a huge difference in my son's heart and so he's got two fans for life now."
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