Article:Low Blow for Powe

Leon Powe will never be a superstar in the NBA. He did contribute mightily to a championship season for the Boston Celtics in 2008. The undersized power forward brings toughness and defensive intensity to the court day after day, but neither consistent brilliance or a great outside shooting touch. Unfortunately, Powe tore his left ACL and will miss out on the remainder of the playoffs,

But what saddens me isn't the Celtics missing Powe, but Powe's missing out on his chance, relatively speaking, to cash in on free agency.

So what? Another overpaid, narcissistic athlete losing out on lifetime security...not so much. He was raised knowing poverty intimately in a single parent family after age two. He was homeless for years, including living out of the family car. He spent time in foster care, and his mother died while he was in high school. Despite all this he achieved Parade All-American status and overcame a serious knee injury at Cal to become a second-team All-American and achieve a professional career.

Yes, he made almost 800,000 dollars with the Celtics in 2009, more than most all of us will ever make, but not particularly overpaid for a valuable sixth man in the NBA. Celtics fans recognized him with their "6th Star Award." Powe also receives recognition for his community service.

Best wishes to Mr. Powe for successful surgery and rehabilitation, so that he can resume his career in the NBA. If anyone in the NBA deserves good things, Leon Powe fits the bill.