Why Clippers' Norman Powell Lives by the Phrase ‘Understand the Grind’ — and How His ‘Rough’ Hometown Inspired It (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Norman Powell #24 of the LA Clippers looks on during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on January 15, 2025 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California.Photo:Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty

Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty

He has his mantra: “Understand the grind.”

That phrase is a “key piece” of who Powell, 31, is today, he tells PEOPLE.

“It started from me and my friends in high school having a conversation, we just asked ourselves, how come we don’t see a lot of successful people coming out of our neighborhood? We had a lot of players and athletes that were touted at a young age to be the next best thing out of San Diego, but they never actually blossomed into that,” he says.

Powell and his friends — who are still his closest to this day — determined at the time: “A lot of people don’t understand the grind.”

Norman Powell #24 of the LA Clippers shoots a three point basket during the game at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California.Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty

“They don’t understand what it takes to be successful — and the obstacles, the choices you have to make along the path. People don’t understand what it takes when they’re pursuing their goals and dreams, and we used that tagline, that mantra, as a form of motivation for us to go after our own dreams."

More than 178,000 fans voted for Powell to play in the 2025 NBA All-Star game. But before he was a fan-favorite for Clipper fans, a young Powell made a promise to himself before being drafted into the NBA. “I always told myself when I made it to where I’m at today, I’ll always give back,” he tells PEOPLE.

“I didn’t know what that looked like. I just knew that I wanted to leave everlasting impression on the kids coming up after me.”

Norman Powell #24 of the LA Clippers looks on during the game against the Boston Celtics on January 22, 2025.Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty

Powell’s journey to the NBA wasn’t easy. “The community that we’re in, the urban pocket of San Diego, a lot of people don’t really know about it or talk about it. It can be rough. I dealt with gangs, drugs, bad schooling systems, things like that,” says Powell.

“Going into a city that doesn’t really pour as much into the area as you get in La Jolla or Solana Beach or La Costa Canyon or Mar places like that. We didn’t have that in southeast San Diego.”

His earliest inspiration for giving back came from his mom, Sharon Powell, a former social worker and special needs teacher. “That left a lasting impression on me as a kid.”

Powell’s mom was often “helping the next family” — despite also caring for him and his two older sisters, Joniece and Margaret.

Norman Powell and his mom Sharon.Norman Powell/Instagram

Norman Powell/Instagram

“She still found time to make sure the next person had the things necessary to be successful, whether that was in school or giving them a ride home, making sure they were safe, listening to them, going to their teacher meetings.”

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After leading Toronto to a 2019 championship alongside his now-Clippers teammateKawhi Leonard, Powell says Raptors fans “loved” the “Understand the grind” mentality.

Norman Powell #24 of the LA Clippers dribbles against the Portland Trail Blazers on January 16, 2025 in Portland, Oregon.Steph Chambers/Getty

Steph Chambers/Getty

“I thought it would be cool to kind of umbrella everything underneath, ‘Understand the Grind,’ since it’s who I am; and start the foundation and just start to motivate the next generation through my story, through my career, and try to give them little pieces of what it means.”

The foundationofficially launchedtwo years ago. Before that, “everything was coming out of my pocket,” says Powell.

Next, the foundation will work to offer scholarships to student athletes. “Overall picture,” says Powell, “is to really build this up where we have enough money to change the lives of the next generation of kids.”

source: people.com