Los Angeles Clippers’ Norman Powell On His Breakthrough Season And His ‘Understand The Grind’ Foundation

Los Angeles Clippers star Norman Powell knows all about his motto, “Understand the Grind.” The 31-year-old veteran is having a breakthrough season in his 10th year in the league, leading the Clippers in scoring with 24.6 points per game while posting a scorching 45.9% rate from beyond the arc (fifth in the NBA).

Powell worked his way up from as un unheralded second-round draft pick who wasn’t guaranteed a roster spot with the Raptors, to being a valuable role player with Toronto during their title run in 2019. Fast forward to now where he’s emerged as the lead scoring option for a Clippers team that currently has a 19-14 record without Kawhi Leonard and will likely be contending for a playoff spot in a tough Western Conference.

“I had a big goal in mind,” says Powell in a one-on-one interview. “I had high expectations for myself no matter what was being put out about me and where I would fit and if I’d be able to make it in the league. I always saw myself where I’m at now, being a key guy to a team, helping contribute night in and night out, a No. 1 option, that was always my mindset.”

The 6-foot-3 shooting guard says he always envisioned himself as a lead scoring option, but explains how he had to be a role player during the first half of his career before emerging as one. During Powell’s first four seasons in Toronto, he averaged less than nine points per game. He’s now averaged at least 16 points per game every season ever since.

During the Raptors’ 2018-19 championship season, Powell averaged 8.6 points in 18.8 minutes per game as the ninth-leading scorer on the team.

“At the end of the day, I had to sit back and realize what it takes to get there,” says Powell. “I knew I had to work my way up and fit into a specific role to get on the floor. I was all about winning. I’m still about winning. Whatever the team needs and whatever role they think Im going to be best suited to help this team win, I’m going to do that while still striving for more and then going after my own individual goals and expectations.”

Powell’s surprising emergence as the Clippers’ leading scorer in the aftermath of future Hall of Famers Paul George and Russell Westbrook leaving makes him a potential All-Star player and All-NBA team selection. Those are both key goals of Powell’s as he seeks to cross those off of his checklist for the first time.

“It’s been 10 years being in the league and this is my first year being a one or two scoring option on a team,” says Powell. “It was all about getting better and knowing what I had to do each and every year to take a step forward in the path I had for myself.”

Powell’s “Understand the Grind” motto is a key thought process in his career. When he was drafted in 2015, the Raptors wanted to stash him overseas to earn his contract. However, Powell had no interest in doing that, instead earning his contract through his play in summer league.

The veteran guard details that he would have probably went back to school to become a lawyer if his basketball career didn’t pan out, but admits that there was no real “Plan B” if his career on the hardwood fizzled.

“I didn’t have a Plan B,” says Powell. “If the league didn’t work out, it was like, I’ll probably become a lawyer, go back and go to school. But I wasn’t banking on that. I put everything into this.”

The San Diego and UCLA native explains how his “Understand the Grind” motivational line comes from a conversation he had with his best friends from high school about how not many athletes from their area (Southeast San Diego ) and his generation have been successful.

“One of my friends was like, ‘Yeah, a lot of people don’t understand the grind. They don’t know what it takes to be successful. They always mess up along the path. That’s why we don’t see too many successful athletes or people coming out of Southeast San Diego,’” Powell details. “It stuck with me and we just started using that as a motivational tool whenever we have hard times or challenges and the pursuit of our own career and our own path.”

Powell’s life journey and evolution as a bit role player into a leading scorer on an NBA team has led to him creating his foundation, “Understand the Grind.” The foundation is in its second year and is aimed to help the community, specifically underserved youth.

The foundation has mentorship programs, AAU basketball programs in his hometown of San Diego, and scholarship programs for student athletes helping them make the adjustment from high school to college.

“I thought about ‘Understand the Grind’ because it’s my lifestyle mantra and motto,” says Powell. “It’s what I stand by. It’s the message that no matter what you’re faced on the journey to achieve your career, you have to understand what it takes to be successful, whatever avenue that is. I thought it was fitting to have a foundation called that.”

Powell says the long-term objective is to open up his facility near his hometown where he can help youth with sports and academics.

“It’s all about achieving your dreams and achieving success,” says Powell. “My foundation is all about giving back to the youth and the community. The long-term objective is I want to open up my facility in between San Diego and Los Angeles, somewhere neutral where kids can come and get training in their respective sports and then also the academic side of things, academics was big with my mom.

“That’s the long-term goal right now is raising money to put into these programs that we have, we’re expanding our mentorship program from not Lincoln High School (Powell’s former high school) in San Diego, but other school districts in San Diego,” Powell continues to say.

The 10th-year guard also has a clothing line that echoes his favorite mantra. Unsurprisingly, his two favorite quotes on his clothing line once again preaches understanding the “grind.”

“I have two of them — the grind pays and then the grind continues,” says Powell. “It’s always a constant pursuit of going after your goals. The grind is always continuing moving forward and the grind pays. The hard work that you put in, always pays off.”