Heat newcomer Norman Powell getting ‘acclimated' to South Florida with Jamaican national team

Miami Herald

a day ago

For the first time since Norman Powell was traded to the Miami Heat in early July, the veteran guard is in South Florida. But he's in South Florida as a member of the Jamaican national team.
With Jamaica's men's basketball team holding training camp at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton to prepare for the FIBA World Cup 2027 Americas pre-qualifiers, Powell has been in South Florida for more than a week. Powell will leave the country on Wednesday to play the first of Jamaica's three FIBA World Cup 2027 Americas pre-qualifier games in Mexico on Friday against Barbados before facing Costa Rica on Saturday and Mexico on Sunday.
'It's been amazing,' Powell, 32, said to the Miami Herald after a recent practice with the Jamaican national team in Boca Raton. 'I've always looked at my life as full-circle moments. Things that have been talked about and signs and things that you don't really notice. But then it comes full circle. I was expecting training camp to be in Jamaica, but then I learned that it was in Boca. And then being traded to the Heat, being so close to where I'll be playing and being able to go down there and go to the facility, look for a place to stay. … It's definitely cool.'
With FAU less than 50 miles from his new NBA home, Powell planned to visit the Heat's facilities at Kaseya Center on Monday for the first time since the Los Angeles Clippers dealt him to Miami last month.
'I'll go down to the facilities and check everything out on Monday,' said Powell, who was acquired by the Heat in a three-team trade that also included the Clippers and Utah Jazz. 'I'll drive down there and be there. I haven't gone down yet just because training camp has been busy. I'll go down there officially on Monday to the arena and look at a few places to stay and hopefully find one so I can fully start moving everything and getting settled.'"
Playing with Jamaica on the international stage this month will also be new for Powell, who has never played for a national team prior to this experience. Powell was born and raised in San Diego, but he's eligible to represent Jamaica because his father was born in Kingston.
'It's definitely a historical moment for not only us, but for Jamaica, as well, to really reignite the basketball culture and love in Jamaica,' said Powell, as the Jamaican men's basketball team has never qualified for an Olympics or World Cup.
All the while, Powell continues to look forward to what's ahead with the Heat, and the Heat continues to look forward to how Powell can help. He was among six NBA players who averaged at least 21 points per game while shooting better than 48% from the field and better than 40% from three-point range last regular season along with Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant, Karl-Anthony Towns, Zach LaVine and Kawhi Leonard.
'It's getting me acclimated,' Powell said of the opportunity to be in South Florida with the Jamaican national team. 'It has been amazing to be welcomed here. Not only with the Jamaican national team and that side of my culture that I'm embracing and learning about. But being here in South Florida, checking into the hotel, people already know who I am and welcome me and are excited about me being on the Heat.'
Here's what else Powell had to say during the recent interview:
Now that you've had a few weeks to reflect on your move to the Heat, how much are you looking forward to starting this new chapter in your basketball career?
Powell: 'Honestly, I'm super excited about it. It's always a shock when you get traded, especially coming off of the year that I had and talking to the front office and it's all about extensions and things like that. And then you get a little rumbling that it's a possibility, but not really. And then you get traded. So the shock is always there. But the Heat, they've welcomed me with open arms. They've talked about how much they've wanted me and liked my game throughout the years and they've tried to get me. So to come to a place that values you and wants you here and understands what you bring to the table and wants you to be you, you can't be upset or mad about that at all. I'm very excited about the opportunity, I'm very excited about the group that we have, I'm very excited about what they're building. I think the Heat culture and what this organization is about is me to a tee. It's exactly how I am. I'm built on competitiveness, I'm built on working, I'm built on the grind. That's my motto, understand the grind. That's my daily approach and I think I'm built for the Heat culture. So I'm really excited to get down and get acclimated and get ready to go.
'Bam [Adebayo] has reached out to me, Davion [Mitchell] has reached out to me. I've had talks with [Haywood] Highsmith about the jersey number and we were able to get something done for me to get No. 24. I know Jaime [Jaquez Jr.] from UCLA. I know [Andrew] Wiggins. So I know a few guys on the roster. I'm just excited to put my stamp on the organizations and get with these guys.'
Now that you bring it up, how was that process of getting No. 24 from Haywood Highsmith after your move to the Heat?
Powell: 'I'm super thankful for him being willing to do it. Some guys are very particular and don't want to give up their number. But there was respect on both sides. We were able to negotiate and go back and forth, and come up with something that we felt was fair for each other. He gave me the respect. He said it in a text, 'You're the vet and you've worn it your whole career, so I'm not trying to disrespect you in any type of way.' That kind of set the tone and we were able to work something out. So I definitely appreciate him for doing that. It's something that I did for Luis Scola when I was a rookie and he was coming in and he signed with Toronto. He was No. 4 and I was No. 4 all throughout high school and college, and I gave it up to him. And that gave me the opportunity to wear my favorite player's number for the first time in my career — No. 24. Now I've had that for my whole NBA career. So I'm thankful for him to allow me to continue to rep that number.'
I'm assuming getting No. 24 from Haywood cost you a little bit?
Powell: 'A little something. We'll keep the amount under wraps. But it's cool that we were able to work something out.'
What was it like to have Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and others attend your workout in Las Vegas last month shortly after your trade to Miami?
Powell: 'It was awesome. I've never had a turnout like that for a workout. All the staff, some front office members coming to watch me work out for the first time since the trade. I didn't even know that they were coming to the workout. But just going to the workout and them sitting there and hearing them talk about what I'm doing. It was a great workout for me and that support from them shows how much they're bought in and excited to have me on the team. It's definitely welcoming for me to be embraced like that and to have the staff there and front office, and them just talking about my career and the battles that we've had and the shots I've made against them and the games that we've played. It's definitely cool. I mean, Spoelstra is one of the greatest minds in the game. And he remembers shots and stuff that I've made against him during the season. It's like, there are so many games, how do you remember that? But it was definitely cool.'