Last Updated on April 15, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Ty Jacob “T.J.” Leaf is an Israeli-American professional basketball player, born on April 30, 1997, in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Player Profile

Physical Attributes:

  • Height: 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 meters)
  • Weight: 222 pounds (101 kilograms)
  • Wingspan: 6 feet 11 inches (2.11 meters)
  • Shoe Size: Size 18 (US)

Basketball Career:

  • Position: Power Forward
  • Jersey Number: 22
  • High School: Foothills Christian High School in El Cajon, California
  • College: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) (2016–2017)
  • NBA Draft: 2017, Round 1, Pick 18 by the Indiana Pacers
  • Teams Played For:
    1. Indiana Pacers: 2017–2020
    2. Portland Trail Blazers: 2021
    3. Guangzhou Loong Lions (CBA): 2022
    4. Beijing Ducks (CBA): 2022–2024
    5. Nanjing Monkey Kings (CBA): 2024–Present
  • Achievements:
    • First-team All-Pac-12: 2017
    • Pac-12 All-Freshman Team: 2017
    • McDonald’s All-American: 2016

Personal Life:

  • Parents: Brad and Karen Leaf
  • Siblings: Two older brothers, Trent and Troy, and two younger sisters, Talia and Heaven
  • Children: Not publicly available

Player Archetype / Play Style

Ty Leaf’s player archetype is that of a skilled stretch four, an archetype built around face-up scoring, soft touch, and offensive versatility from the frontcourt. At 6-foot-10 and about 220 to 225 pounds, he had good size for a modern power forward, but his game leaned more on coordination, mobility, and feel than brute strength. Defensively, his role projected more as a team-oriented rebounder and positional frontcourt helper than a true stopper, with draft evaluations often pointing to questions about his strength, lateral quickness, and overall defensive ceiling. Offensively, he was at his best as a floor-spacing big who could score inside, run the floor, handle a bit, and make smart reads, which matched both his highly efficient freshman year at UCLA and the draft-era view of him as a polished offensive forward with perimeter-oriented skill. The overall play style was smooth and finesse-based: Leaf looked like the kind of big who could pressure defenses with skill, touch, and versatility rather than overpowering them physically. (UCLA)

Sources:

UCLA Athletics — MBKB_17MG_FULL.pdf
Sports Illustrated — Who is TJ Leaf? Scouting report, bio, analysis of NBA draft prospect
The Ringer — The Ringer’s 2017 NBA Draft Guide
ESPN — Pacers pick at No. 18: TJ Leaf, UCLA forward