When Kevin Durant was still a baby and his brother Anthony was still a toddler, their father deserted the family, leaving Wanda, who was just 21 years old at the time, to raise both of them by herself.
Basketball’s leading performer in a key position Wanda Durant, Kevin’s mother, is, according to her son, “the real MVP.” This is despite the fact that Kevin Durant has won the Most Valuable Player award at the NBA Finals twice (in 2014 and 2017).
Their mother Wanda became a single parent at the age of 21 after their father abandoned the family when Kevin and Anthony were still young children.
It appeared that the odds were piled heavily against us. During his acceptance speech for the Most Valuable Player award in 2014, Kevin noted, “By the time you were 21, you were a single parent with two boys.” “We had no business being here in the first place. You successfully persuaded us. You made it possible for us to avoid having to sleep in our vehicles and eat out of cans by providing for us. You provided food for the rest of us despite the fact that you were not hungry. You most likely fell asleep with an empty stomach. You sacrificed a lot for the both of us. You have to be the player with the highest overall value in the league.
Wanda is convinced that the fact that she achieved her goals via arduous labor inspired her sons to put in the effort required to be successful. “I continued to give them my love, my time, my presence, and being as engaged as I possibly could,” she stated in an interview with NBA.com. “As I reflected on my life, I came to the conclusion that my sons were able to realize their ambitions and follow in my footsteps because I never gave up hope and never gave up on them.”
She has been Kevin’s most ardent supporter both on and off the court, and she is currently pursuing a career as a philanthropist and motivational speaker with the goal of making people’s lives better in underprivileged areas.
Who precisely is this Wanda Durant, anyway? Continue reading to learn more about her extraordinary life story, her many acts of generosity, and the important work she is doing at the present time.
She regularly gives speeches in an effort to motivate others. According to what is written on Wanda’s website, MamaDurant.com, one of the most important tenets of her philosophy is the idea that “where there is hope, there is possibility.” In her biography, it is written that “Her passion is to inspire underserved children, single mothers, and communities to move beyond their immediate circumstances and aim for higher heights in life.”
She has delivered speeches to audiences at the United State of Women Summit at the White House as well as the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference and the Ford Foundation.
She shares management responsibilities for the Durant Family Foundation with her husband. The mission of the organization is “to enrich the lives of at-risk youth from low-income backgrounds through educational, athletic, and social programs,” and its name reflects this mission.
The Durants, on the other hand, feel that a number of the group’s endeavors have personally relevant implications for them. Due to the fact that Kevin’s hometown of Bowie, Maryland is situated in Prince George’s County, the foundation provided the local institution with a gift of $500,000 in 2022 so that it may modernize its basketball facilities.
The location that I refer to as “home.” We have a deep connection to the residents of PG County as well as the locations in and around Bowie State University. It was the first historically black college or university (HBCU) in Maryland, and Kevin played basketball there, so everything fell into place perfectly for this to take place.
In addition to the charitable organization that she and her family established, Wanda is involved with other organizations, such as the Single Parents Support Network, Baller Moms, the Boys & Girls Club of America, and the Mothers of Professional Basketball Players. Additionally, she is a member of the board of directors for Tigress Financial Partners, which is an organization that works to raise women’s knowledge of financial matters.
Both on the field and off, she is Kevin’s most ardent cheerleader and supporter. In interviews and on television, Mama Durant has been very open about how much she adores her child.
In 2022, she claimed in an interview with Essence that “I’m Kevin’s biggest fan.” That settles it; we’ll just call him Kevin from now on. As an athlete competing at a professional level, I am aware that there will be supporters and critics on both sides of the arena. The fact that I am still his mother is not going to change regardless of what happens. It makes no difference what other people think about it. As a human being, I find him to be quite agreeable.
She has served as the focal point for Kevin’s cheerleaders and well-wishers throughout his rehabilitation from his injuries.
Durant was out for Game 5 of the NBA Finals due to a string of difficult injuries that he suffered during the 2018–19 season. These ailments included a calf injury and an Achilles tendon rupture, both of which caused him to miss the game. During an interview with Good Morning America, Wanda expressed her thanks to her global fandom, saying, “I’m just so grateful and our family is thankful to the fans all over the world who have sent us their prayers, who have contacted me over my social media, and who have sent general responses.” Because of this, “we appreciate it immensely.” She has garnered praise from the film industry. In 2016, Lifetime broadcast the first episode of The Real MVP: The Wanda Durant Story, a biopic film about Wanda’s life. The plot of the narrative centered on a family’s attempts to inspire and encourage their two sons to grow despite the difficult living conditions that they were forced to endure. The movie that Queen Latifah produced featured Pauletta Washington in the leading role.
She has no trouble whatsoever voicing her approval of her son’s chosen career path in public. Throughout his time as a basketball player, Wanda has never failed to come to Kevin’s defense whenever he has been subjected to criticism. According to Bleacher Report, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith made a public statement that Kevin may have damaged his legacy by signing with the Brooklyn Nets in 2022, as the team’s success on the court has been overshadowed by player Kyrie Irving’s controversial behavior. Smith’s comments were made in reference to the fact that the team’s success on the court has been eclipsed by Irving’s actions.
Wanda hit back against Smith on Twitter, asking him, “when will you show up better?” Smith responded publicly to the criticism by saying, “I love the NBA moms and they all know that.” She is one of the most remarkable persons I’ve ever met in the National Basketball Association. You are welcome to say whatever you like to me, regardless of whether it is in person, on Twitter, or in any other setting. Given that this is how I genuinely feel about you, you should expect nothing less than my highest level of deference and respect from me. Therefore, what she said did not in any way bother me. It is perfectly acceptable for her to speak out for her child in this manner because she is the parent.
She is very committed to bringing awareness to Graves disease as well as thyroid eye disease. Wanda had a tough time acquiring a diagnosis of thyroid eye disease (TED), a related illness, despite the fact that she had been given a diagnosis of Graves disease, a condition that affects the thyroid, seventeen years ago.
In the year 2022, Wanda shared with Ebony her regrets, saying, “Had I known about the risk of TED sooner, I would have been more carefully monitoring my eyes and seeing a TED Eye Specialist.” Because of this, I have made it the mission of my life to deter other people from making the same mistake I did and allowing it to cloud their judgment for as long as it did.