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Raptors star Norm Powell is learning sign language in his spare time

He still gets his shots up and his workouts in during the longest hiatus he has ever had from basketball, but Norm Powell has finally found time to expand his horizons a bit. He is learning sign language.

Powell’s mother, Sharon, was a special needs educator, and the Raptors forward is taking online sign language classes because he grew up intrigued by the craft.

“I always found it a beautiful language to learn and be a part of, and I love that community,” Powell said on a conference call Tuesday from his home in Las Vegas. “It was just a little side hobby and interest of mine since I was a kid.