On July 20, 1991, Dwight Harlan Powell, a professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA, was born in Canada. Powell attended Florida’s IMG Academy in Bradenton. During his final season, he had an average of 23.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 2.3 blocks. In 2010, Powell, a five-star recruit, was rated as the eighth-best power forward.

Powell was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman Team in 2010–2011 while a freshman at Stanford. He played in 31 games (26 starts), scoring 8.1 points and grabbing 5.2 rebounds per contest. When Powell was a sophomore in 2011–12, the Cardinal won the NIT title, and Powell was chosen as a Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention. He played in 35 games (11 starts), scoring 5.8 points and grabbing 4.6 rebounds each.

He achieved a new career best on December 3, 2016, when he scored 17 points in a 107-82 victory over the Chicago Bulls. He outscored the Phoenix Suns by 21 points on April 9, 2017.

Powell equaled his career best on January 3, 2018, scoring 21 points in a 125-122 defeat to the Golden State Warriors. He once more equaled his career best on February 28, 2018, scoring 21 points in a 111-110 overtime defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Powell achieved a career best on March 6, 2019, against the Washington Wizards, scoring 26 points in a 132-123 defeat. He contributed 25 points during a 110-108 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 3, 2019, for his team.