Leon Powe, Jr. is an American professional basketball player born in Oakland, California on 22nd January 1984. Currently, he is with Cleveland Cavaliers team as a Power forward or Center with Jersey No.0. He stands 6 feet 8 inches and weighs 240 pounds.
When Leon was a senior at Oakland Technical High School, he had an average of 27.4 ppg, 3.1 bpg and 14.2 rpg. Powe was chosen as the Gatorade California Player of the Year and a first-team Parade All-American.
From 2003-06, Leon participated for California Golden Bears in college basketball. He was a member of Cal men’s hoops for three seasons, but a grave knee injury prevented him from playing in the sophomore year. He was the PAC-10 freshman of the year in the freshman season.
It was doubted whether Leon could regain his form after the knee surgery. However, he rehabilitated, enhanced his game and became a key force on the interior. He had 20.5 ppg and 10.1 rpg and simultaneously led Cal to a 20-11 record with a place in the NCAA tournament.
During April 2006, Leon became the most valuable player of California. In 2004 and as a freshman, when Leon was chosen as the most valuable player of California, he averaged 10.1 rpg and 20.5 ppg and became the sixth player to do so. ESPN.com, the U.S. Basketball Writers and the Associated Press named him a second-team All-American. Leon was selected for a second time in the All-Pac-10 team in 2006.
On the completion of the junior year, Leon desired to enroll his name for the 2006 NBA draft. In the second round, Leon was chosen by the Denver Nuggets and traded to the Boston Celtics. On the completion of play for the Celtics summer league team, Leon was signed for a three year contract with the team.
During the 2006-07 NBA season, Leon demonstrated that he was an able defender who can modify the shots and offer interior rebounding. On 12th January 2007, in the match against Toronto Raptors, Leon scored a career-high of 12 rebounds in 25 minutes. On 10th April 2007, Leon played against Atlanta Hawks and scored 19 points. The 2006-07 season had an average of 3.4 rebounds and 4.2 points for only 11 minutes per game.
On 29th January 2008, Leon displayed a splendid performance against Heat in Miami. He scored 25 points and collected 11 rebounds on the way to a 117-87 blowout triumph. On 16th April 2008, during the final game of the season against the New Jersey Nets, Leon registered 27 points, which was also his career-high.
Career Highlights
Powe was ranked 8th in the NBA in Offensive Rebounds per 48 minutes (5.7) and 15th in the NBA in Offensive Rebounds (27.0)
