Leon Powe, Jr. (born January 22, 1984 in Oakland,
California) is an American professional basketball
player who is currently a member of the NBA's Boston
Celtics.
Powe grew up poor in Oakland, California. His father
left him when he was two years old. When he was
young, 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
weeks before he played in the state championship.
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. He also scored
his career-high 27 points in the last game of the
season against the New Jersey Nets on April 16,
2008.
