Leon Powe
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| Position | Power forward/Center |
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| Height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Weight | 240 lb (110 kg) |
| League | NBA |
| Team | Boston Celtics |
| Jersey | #0 |
| Born | January 22, 1984 Oakland, California |
| Nationality | USA |
| High school | Oakland Technical HS (Oakland, California) |
| College | California |
| Draft | 2nd round, 49th overall, 2006 Denver Nuggets |
| Pro career | 2006–present |
| Official profile | Info Page |
Leon Powe, Jr. (pronounced |ˈpou(-ə)|) (born January 22, 1984 in Oakland, California) is an American professional basketball player who is currently a member of the NBA's Boston Celtics.
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[edit] Personal life
Powe grew up poor in Oakland, California. His father left him when he was two years old. When he was seven years old, the family's house burned down and they were homeless for years. He was taken away from his mother by the state of California and put into foster care. In high school, Powe's mother died four days before he played in the state championship.[1] His life was featured by ESPN in a segment during halftime at the NBA Finals.
[edit] High school career
Powe attended Oakland Technical High School, where he averaged 27.4 ppg, 14.2 rpg and 3.1 bpg as a senior. With Powe in the roster, Oakland Tech was able to win the CIF Oakland Section Championship and also reach the CIF State Championships in 2002 and 2003. He was named a first-team Parade All-American and the Gatorade California Player of the Year during his senior year. A highly rated prep star, Powe was selected to play in the McDonald's All-American game and became the first Oakland Tech athlete to have his number retired by the school.[2]
[edit] College career
Powe played his college basketball for the California Golden Bears from 2003-2006. Although he was part of Cal men's hoops for 3 seasons, he did not play in his sophomore year due to a serious knee injury. During his freshman season, he earned the PAC-10 freshman of the year, leading the conference in rebounding.
Questions abounded about whether Powe would be able to return to form following his knee surgery but he worked hard and rehabilitated to become a dominant force on the interior as he continued to improve his game. He produced 20.5 PPG and 10.1 RPG while leading Cal to a 20-11 record and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Powe was named California's most valuable player during a banquet in April 2006. Powe, who also was selected Cal's MVP as a freshman in 2004, averaged 20.5 ppg and 10.1 rpg to become just the sixth player ever to pace the conference in both categories. Named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press, the U.S. Basketball Writers and ESPN.com, he was chosen to the All-Pac-10 team for a second time in 2006.
[edit] Professional career
After his junior year, Powe decided to enter his name in the 2006 NBA Draft. Powe was selected by the Denver Nuggets in the second round as the 49th overall pick. The Nuggets subsequently traded him to the Boston Celtics. After playing for the Celtics summer league team, Powe was signed by the team to a 3 year contract. Although Powe did not reach the sum of 14 in his per game points, rebounds, and assists necessary to guarantee the second year of his contract, that second year became guaranteed by Boston not waiving him by July 1, 2007. Powe has a similar hurdle of 16 for the sum of the three statistics to guarantee the third year of his contract (2008-09).[3][4]
[edit] 2006-07 NBA season
Powe played as a fourth string center behind Kendrick Perkins, Brian Scalabrine, and Michael Olowokandi in his rookie season. After a rash of injuries submarined Boston's playoff chances, Powe received a limited opportunity to showcase his skills. He proved himself a capable defender who can alter shots and provide interior rebounding. On January 12, 2007, Powe made the most out of his 25 minutes and registered a career-high 12 rebounds against the Toronto Raptors. On April 10, 2007, he scored 19 points against the Atlanta Hawks. Powe finished the 2006-07 campaign averaging 4.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in just over 11 minutes per game.
[edit] 2007-08 NBA season
Photo by Chris Nelson
On January 29, 2008, Powe had a breakout performance that took place in Miami against the struggling Heat, as he effectively filled in the blank of the absent main contributors Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, scoring 25 points and grabbing 11 rebounds en route to a 117-87 blowout victory.[5] He also scored his career-high 27 points in the last game of the season against the New Jersey Nets on April 16, 2008.[6] In Game 2 of the NBA Finals, he scored 21 points on 6-7 shooting to lead Boston to victory over the Lakers.[7]
[edit] External links
- Leon Powe Fan Site
- Leon Powe Info Page at NBA.com
- Leon Powe Statistics at Basketball-Reference.com
- The Making of Leon Powe
- Cal Bears Profile
- Draft Profile
- Videos of Leon Powe on mReplay.com
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ East Bay Express : Print This Story
- ^ Player Bio: Leon Powe :: Men's Basketball
- ^ http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/sports/colleges/cal/15071722.htm
- ^ Blazers coach plays defense - The Boston Globe
- ^ Steve Bulpett, Celtics elect to win, Boston Herald, January 30, 2008.
- ^ Mark Murphy, C’s go through motions, gear up for postseason, Boston Herald, April 17, 2008.
- ^ Celts withstand Lakers' late Game 2 run behind Pierce, defense, Associated Press, June 8, 2008
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