Leon Powe, Jr. (born January 22, 1984) is a retired NBA player from Oakland.
"Powe grew up 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. They moved more than twenty times within six years. He and his siblings were taken away from their mother by the state of California and put into foster care." 1 His mother, Connie Landry died in her room at Night's Inn, a residential hotel, from a chronic heart condition, four days before Powe was to play in the high school state championship game. 2
Powe attended Oakland Tech, where he helped the team 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." 1
Powe went to college at UC Berkeley, where he was twice the team MVP and All-Pac-10 First Team.
Powe played professionally with the Boston Celtics and won an NBA championship with them in 2008.
Links and References
- Leon Powe on Wikipedia
- The Making of Leon Powe East Bay Express February 19, 2003 [ This is a great long-read about his life before college. ]
