After concluding an 11-year professional career, including two championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, former NC State basketball standout Josh Powell will try his hand at coaching in the NBA.
During the Lakers’ 2008-2009 season, Powell enjoyed a large addition of minutes over the course of the year after injuries sidelined center Andrew Bynum for the duration of the season.
As the regular season neared its closing, the Lakers took its league-leading record of 50-13 on the road against a formidable Houston Rockets squad. The Lakers entered the game having lost three of its last five contests, a rare slump for the eventual NBA Champions.
In this Western Conference matchup, Powell would see an even greater increase of minutes, as forward Lamar Odom would be forced to sit after an altercation during the Lakers’ game against the Portland Trail Blazers two nights before.
Powell shined in his enlarged role, as the former Wolfpack standout went for 17 points and nine rebounds in the game.
In a critical sequence with the Lakers down by 12 with just under 11 minutes remaining in the third quarter, Powell set a pick for Kobe Bryant and then rolled to the basket. Bryant quickly hit the cutting Powell, who was met by the Rockets’ 7-foot-6 behemoth center, Yao Ming.
Powell took the pass from Bryant in stride and charged at the rim before jumping above Yao and throwing down a monstrous dunk over the NBA’s tallest player, sparking an 18-6 Lakers run and an eventual 102-96 victory against the Rockets.
Powell’s posturizing dunk over the eight-time NBA All-Star was nothing new for NC State fans who remember Powell’s two seasons with the Wolfpack in 2002 and 2003. The 6-foot-9 Atlanta native was well-known for his ability above the rim and his dominance on the boards.
In two seasons, Powell garnered All-ACC Rookie Team honors as a freshman and averaged 12.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game during his sophomore campaign.
Powell looks back on his time at NC State with thankfulness as he credits his collegiate career as a time when he unlocked the potential for what he could become.
“That, to me, out of the whole big picture, was the driving force behind my professional career,” Powell said.
Powell was not highly touted out of high school, and after his second season at State, he was not a major target for NBA scouts.
“I had to work a lot harder than everybody else because I was the guy that was off the radar, and that was tough,” Powell said. “There’s always a group of guys that comes out of nowhere, and I felt like I was a part of that group.”
Although Powell would go undrafted in 2003, he found his first opportunity overseas, playing professionally in Russia and Italy for two years, but finally received his big break in the NBA after the Dallas Mavericks signed him to a two-year contract in 2005.
After brief stints with both the Indiana Pacers and Golden State Warriors, Powell signed with the Los Angeles Clippers for the 2007-2008 NBA season.
In his lone season with the Clippers, he saw his playtime increased from 9.6 minutes per game to about 20 minutes per contest. The addition of minutes with the Clippers gave Powell the valuable experience he would need for his crucial role in the coming two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers were dominant in Powell’s first season, as the club went for 65 wins. Powell played a vital role off the bench as the Lakers hit injury problems, averaging 4.2 points per game while hauling in three or more rebounds in 31 of the 60 games he played.
The Lakers stormed through the Western Conference Playoffs and defeated the Orlando Magic in the Finals to capture the 2009 NBA Championship, giving Powell his first championship ring.
In the following season, the Lakers made their way to the finals again and triumphed after a classic, seven-game series against the Boston Celtics, giving Powell his second championship ring.
“Experiencing that type of tradition and being a part of that type of history, not only winning one but winning two championships, was an incredible time for me,” Powell said.
After Powell averaged five rebounds and four points per game off the bench at the age of 31 last year with the Houston Rockets, he was invited to undertake a new challenge. At the conclusion of last year, the Rockets invited Powell to come aboard the coaching staff for the coming season and work with the Rockets’ big men.
Powell, who has been a life-long friend of Dwight Howard, decided to take the coaching position and is hopeful that the Rockets will avenge its first-round exit from the playoffs last season.
“Everybody has got to come together,” Powell said. “A lot of times groups look good on paper but if they aren’t together, then it doesn’t mean anything. We definitely have a huge crowd of talent, but we have to stay together because in the end, it all comes down to heart.”
