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Llorren Cook and the Celtics' Leon Powe have more reason to smile these days, the arrival of Leon Powe III. (File/Erik Jacobs/For the Globe) |
Leon Powe II didn't have a father figure in Leon Powe I. But with the arrival of Leon Powe III to the world last Wednesday, the Celtics power forward is intent on being the strong father figure he never had.
"I just want to be there for my kid, no matter what," Powe said. "You can only teach him so much. But ultimately, he has to make decisions on his own. I just want to guide him in the right direction."
Powe's childhood was anything but storybook.
He was born in Oakland, Calif., in 1984, and his mother, Connie Landry, made ends meet for her six children by selling trinkets, toys, and used clothing at a flea market. When Powe was 7, one of his younger brothers set the family home on fire while playing with matches. Landry and her kids slept in motels, one-bedroom apartments, cars, and homeless shelters. Food wasn't always available. Powe also missed school at times to mind his siblings.
"It was what my mom had to do," Powe said. "If she didn't do that, I don't know how she was going to get food on the table. It was hard. But she made a way out of no way. That's what I remembered at all times, because she always found a way to get it done even when it was looking like there wasn't no way.
"My situation was different. I had to learn everything off the streets. My mom could only teach me so much."
Powe spent most of his teen years in foster care. His mother died of a heart ailment when he was a junior in high school.
So where was Powe's father through all this? Powe wasn't sure, since he hadn't seen him since he was 2. But when he was 17, he said, his father visited him at a foster home. While they haven't seen each other since, they occasionally speak on the phone.
"I talked to him about a year ago," said Powe. "He called me on my phone. But the conversations are short; that's because of me. That's how I feel about it."
Celtics coach Doc Rivers was blessed to have a strong father figure in Grady Rivers, who died at age 76 last Nov. 4. But that wasn't the case for many of his players.
"Unfortunately, a lot of our players are fatherless," Rivers said. "It sometimes hinders coaching because they don't trust a male figure in their life. It's just that deep at times. It just takes us a little bit to get through that.
"Leon, on the other hand, has been terrific. He accepts coaching. But he's gone through more than any player I've coached, that's certainly a fact."
Fortunately for Powe, he had something of a father figure in Bernard Ward, who became his legal guardian. Ward was a basketball star at Oakland Technical High School who spent time in prison before turning his life around and becoming a probation counselor. With Ward's influence, Powe improved his grades dramatically at Oakland Tech, stayed on the right path, and earned a scholarship to Cal-Berkeley.
"He helped me out a whole lot," Powe said. "He wanted me to realize that school was very important to being successful in life. Before I met him, I didn't like going to school at all. I was doing bad stuff.
"He just told me I wasn't going to get nowhere doing that. I listened to him and it changed the things that I used to do and [I] tried to move forward on it."
Powe missed the Celtics' victory over Portland last Wednesday because his significant other, Llorren Cook, was giving birth to Leon Powe III in Boston. The seldom-used forward returned to the team in strong fashion Friday night, getting season highs of 10 points and 6 rebounds in 14 minutes in a win over Philadelphia.
"It's an exciting time," said Ward. "[Powe] told me, 'I know I work hard, but I'm working even harder now.' "
Powe averaged 4.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 63 contests (11.4 minutes per game) as a rookie last season. This year, the 6-foot-8-inch, 240-pounder is averaging 3.1 points and 1.7 rebounds in 15 games (4.9 minutes per game).
Although free agency is looming for Powe after this season, he believes everything will work out. He has overcome much worse situations.
"God has a plan for every man," said Powe. "That's how I always look at it. I have to keep working hard and do the stuff I've been doing. I haven't been doing anything wrong. I come in and work every day. I put in the extra time.
"Something good is going to happen for me - now, later, or whenever. Something is going to happen for me if I keep working the way I've been working."
Something good happened last week with the birth of his son. Powe e-mailed a picture of the baby to Ward, who noticed that the baby's hands were nearly as big as his face. Ward called the new dad to share a laugh and some joy.
"It's something else to watch the young man grow up and receive a family," Ward said. "He'll be the best father in the world. He takes care of his brothers and sisters. I tell him not to hold it against his dad, just be a father to your son, the best father in the world."
Said Powe, "Any time he needs something or needs someone to lean on, I want to be that person. That's what fathers are supposed to do."
© Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company.
