![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/norman-kids-cropped.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Norman Powell speaks to kids at a clinic for his Understand the Grind Foundation.<\/p>\n
Norman Powell is a busy man. If he\u2019s not sweating in the gym and pouring out jump shots by the dozen, there\u2019s a good chance he\u2019s making phone calls to brighten someone\u2019s holiday.<\/p>\n
Powell, averaging a career-high 24.6 points per game for the Miami Heat this year, also finds himself occupied as the point person for his Understand the Grind Foundation, which is active in his hometown of San Diego.<\/p>\n
The foundation \u2014 with the help of charitable donations and support from local food providers \u2014 distributed 500 turkeys to families in need this Thanksgiving, and it\u2019s gearing up for a Christmas gift drive on Dec. 18. Powell, of course, will be otherwise occupied; the Heat are scheduled to play the Nets in Brooklyn that day, but his foundation is left in the hands of his mother, Sharon Powell, sisters Margaret Powell-Smart and Joniece Benjamin and a handful of lifelong friends from his hometown.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s fitting, he says, because his foundation is very family-oriented, and his mother is his inspiration in all of his charitable endeavors.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was a big advocate in giving back to the community, helping the next family, somebody else in need,\u201d Powell said. \u201cWatching her as a kid rubbed off on me. And I always thought that if I made it to the NBA, I\u2019d never forgot where I came from and I\u2019d always try to give back and help the next generation go after their own dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n
Next week\u2019s Christmas event, Powell says, has been an annual event for about eight years. His mom, receives referrals from the community, coaches and teachers about families in need, and then Understand the Grind gets them a gift card or a shopping experience where they can choose gifts for their family.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/turkey-delivery-cropped.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Norman Powell\u2019s foundation provided turkeys to 500 San Diego families for Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n
Powell, a 2nd-round pick in the 2015 NBA Draft out of UCLA, broke into the league with the Toronto Raptors and won an NBA championship in 2019. He\u2019s been a vital member of playoff teams with the Portland Trail Blazers and the LA Clippers.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s now in his first season with the Heat, and he\u2019s leading the team in both scoring and 3-point shots made (3.1) per game.<\/p>\n
His personal motivational mantra and motto \u2014 Understand the Grind \u2014 originated in conversation with his childhood friends about why so few players make it to the NBA out of southeast San Diego.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of my friends said, \u2018A lot of the people don\u2019t understand the grind and what it takes to be successful and the choices you have to make.\u2019 \u201d Powell said. \u201cThat kind of stuck with us, and we used it as a tool whenever we were going through something tough, some obstacles or challenges. We leaned on it like it was all part of the process, all part of the grind of what we\u2019re going through to get where we wanted to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the years, Understand the Grind became more than just a philosophy.<\/p>\n
It became a lifestyle brand.<\/p>\n
Powell started making shirts during his rookie season in Toronto, and soon thereafter it developed into a whole clothing line.<\/p>\n
Later, it blossomed into his charitable foundation, which now offers year-round mentorship, educational support and an annual youth basketball camp, and this year Powell also launched the Grind Media Group.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a message, he says, encoded in it all that transcends sports, and it applies to people in just about every stage of their lives and careers.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody has their own grind. Everybody\u2019s trying to be successful in some type of field, and everybody has to put the work in,\u201d Powell said. \u201cObviously, there are some people more fortunate than others, but for the majority of people, you\u2019ve got to work from the bottom up in whatever field you\u2019ve chosen. You have to sacrifice and out-work the next person, and you have to be ready for your opportunity and step into it with confidence knowing you\u2019ve put the work in to get where you are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Powell\u2019s UTG Scholars Program starts with student athletes at a young age, and it introduces them to successful people in the community in a number of careers. It allows them to job-shadow, and when they get closer to college, Powell\u2019s student-athletes have an opportunity to earn scholarships, sponsorships and other forms of assistance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat could be helping with supplies for their dorms, putting money on their books or even helping them move in,\u201d he says. \u201cMy mom has driven up to different colleges that kids have gotten scholarships to and helped them set up. We help them see outside of the community they\u2019re in that they can be successful and go out of their normal way of life.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/sharon-powell-cropped.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Sharon Powell (seated), Norman Powell\u2019s mom, is his inspiration for philanthropy.<\/p>\n
Powell\u2019s philanthropy has also extended outside the country.<\/p>\n
Last summer, the veteran began to get in touch with his roots on his dad\u2019s side (Norman Powell Sr.), and he wanted to play for the Jamaican National Team as it attempts to qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games.<\/p>\n
The island nation was struck by Category 5 Hurricane Melissa back in October, and so Powell found himself the captain of Jamaica\u2019s National Team as the island faces a dire need for reconstruction. Powell made a $100,000 donation to Jamaica from his own foundation, and he also led a clothing and canned goods drive through Understand the Grind.<\/p>\n