Raw Leiba was born in Newark, New Jersey to a Brazilian mother and an African American/Native American father. His father Robert was a US Army Veteran and served with the famed Tuskegee Airmen in WWII and his uncle is former NY Giant hall of famer Roosevelt Brown.

Leiba attended high school in NJ and later moved to Tempe, Arizona where he attended  High School. Possessing a 4.3 second 40 yard dash speed and a 44 inch vertical jump he soon got the attention of Arizona State University basketball assistant coaches and Head Football coach John Cooper.