PROFESSIONAL: The Celtics acquired the draft rights to Leon from the Denver Nuggets with the 49th pick overall in the 2006 NBA Draft. On January 12, 2007, against the Toronto Raptors, Leon registered a season-high 12 rebounds in 25 minutes. He finished his rookie season averaging 4.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in just over 11 minutes per game. On January 29, 2008, he had a breakout performance vs. the Miami Heat, scoring 25 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. He earned an NBA championship ring as a member of the 2007-08 Celtics. Leon scored a career-high 30 points and blocked a career-high 5 shots vs. the Memphis Grizzlies on March 13, 2009. On August 12, 2009, Leon signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. On March 5, 2011, Leon signed with the Memphis Grizzlies.
COLLEGE: A Consensus Second Team All-American as a sophomore at California, Leon is only the third player in school history to be named either First or Second Team All-American by the Associated Press, joining Darrell Imhoff (1960) and Jason Kidd (1994). Leon’s performance on the court earned him All-Pac-10 honors in both his freshman and sophomore seasons at Cal. Over two seasons, he averaged 17.8 points per game (sixth all-time in Cal history) and 9.8 rebounds per game (fourth all-time in Cal history). Leon was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year (2003-2004) and All-Pac-10 honors, becoming the first freshman in the history of the league to lead the Pac-10 in rebounding. He was also the first Golden Bear freshman to be named team MVP and pace Cal in both scoring and rebounding since Shareef Abdur-Rahim in 1995-96. During his sophomore season, Leon led the Pac-10 in scoring (20.5 per game) and rebounding (10.1 per game), becoming only the sixth player in league history and one of only three players in the nation to average a double-double. During the first round of the Pac-10 Tournament vs. USC in 2006, Leon scored 22 points and grabbed a tournament-record 22 rebounds. He exploded for a career-high 41 points in a double-overtime victory against Oregon in the conference semifinals and contributed a double-double (14 points, 12 rebounds) vs. North Carolina State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
PHILANTHROPY: Leon takes pride in speaking with children and motivating them to reach their full potential. He regularly speaks to the children in foster care systems in both Oakland and San Francisco, CA. In 2003, Leon received an award from the Alameda County Board of Supervisors that recognizes the accomplishments of foster care children. The Lincoln Child Center honored Leon in 2010 for his commitment to the Bay Area communities. Every summer since his rookie year, Leon hosts a basketball camp at his alma mater, Oakland Technical High School for boys & girls ages 7 to 17. Leon returns to his roots and frequently visits the children at the East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC) during the summer months.
PERSONAL: Leon Powe Jr. was born January, 22, 1984 in Oakland, CA. He is the oldest of six children. His AAU teammates gave him the nickname “The Show”. Leon was the first player in the history of the Oakland Athletic League to play in the McDonald’s All-America game. Leon majored in Social Welfare at Cal Berkeley. He enjoys playing video games, spending time with his family and speaking with children.
