Long before he ever won an NBA title with the Boston Celtics, Leon Powe found inspiration in another connection to the Celtics organization that would set him on the path to playing the sport he won that title with in a book written by a fellow Celtics alum and Oakland denizen.
A mecca for not only Celtics greats, but NBA players, athletes, and even pop stars and politicians, the city of Oakland California was anything but a dream for a younger Powe, who spent much of his childhood going into and out of foster care. Speaking in an interview with the Boston Herald’s Mark Murphy soon after the death of Boston great Bill Russell in the summer of 2022, Powe revealed how a book written by Russell changed his life.
“Growing up in Oakland California Bill Russell Inspired me to be a leader on and off the court, how to face adversity head-on as he did countless times in his lifetime,” said Powe. ” just want to say thank you Mr. Russell for giving a young foster care kid hope and belief.”
The book in question a younger Powe picked up? “Russell’s Rules,” a classic written by the eponymous author on how he found success on and off of the court. “I was in and out of foster care the whole time, and my moms had it rough a little bit,” shared Powe.
“A lot of people where I’m from really don’t make it when things are like that. All these foster care parents and people, they told me ‘oh, you’re not going to do that, you’re not going to be nothing.’ Try to be normal, try to be regular, try not to be in trouble, trying to kill my dreams and everything. Those were people around me. The dream killers – that’s what I call them. Don’t want to hear about what you’re trying to do and where you want to go.”
“I was believing in that and not putting forth a good effort,” he added.
“So ninth-grade year I got into some stuff with grades, was ineligible,” continued Powe. “But I had to look in the mirror.”
“I thought back through all the stuff leading up to then, and I thought man, I have got to look at myself in the mirror – I can’t blame other people. Bill Russell didn’t blame other people. He didn’t blame other people when he was coming up in the era he was born in, the civil rights era.”
“He made the most of his situation, and I wanted to see how I could make the most of my situation,” related the Celtics champion. “That’s what I did, and from that point on I was never ineligible again, I always led by example, and I always tried to give back.”
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