At 32, Norman Powell is a first-time NBA All-Star and back home in L.A. — Video

Norman Powell is back home. Here in sunny Los Angeles, just a few hours drive from where the Miami Heat guard grew up in San Diego, Powell is experiencing the joy of being a first-time All-Star. Nobody — not even he — may have thought it was possible to have this kind of career renaissance. The 32-year-old was traded to Miami this offseason, and he’s blossomed under a new uptempo system and thrived in ways that few players of his age could.

Returning to Los Angeles for All-Star Weekend, just a short drive from where he starred at UCLA, felt like it was meant to be. The Athletic wanted to see how Powell was soaking up the love in L.A., and enjoying being a first-time All-Star. We traveled with him to events in Venice, Inglewood and El Segundo, where he played basketball with kids, taught them how to shoot and signed countless autographs.

In Inglewood, in particular, Powell got to spend the most time with kids, as the event featured a giant bus with a mural of his face on it — plus Jamaican colors on the side, a nod to his roots. He took each one individually, put his hands over theirs, showing them how to use a guide hand to shoot and follow through.

He wanted to show them, if he could be an All-Star, after all that he has been through in his career, from Toronto to Los Angeles to now Miami, they could achieve their dreams, too.