Their father abandoned the family when Kevin Durant was still a baby and his brother Anthony was still a toddler, leaving Wanda, who was just 21 years old at the time, to raise the two of them on her own.
Kevin’s mother Wanda Durant, the top performer in basketball in a crucial role, is referred to by her son as “the real MVP.” This is true even though Kevin Durant has twice (in 2014 and 2017) taken home the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player trophy.
After their father left the family when Kevin and Anthony were still small, their mother Wanda became a single parent at the age of 21.
The cards seemed to be stacked quite high against us. “By the time you were 21, you were a single parent with two boys,” Kevin said in accepting his 2014 Most Valuable Player award speech. “To begin with, we had no business being here. You were able to convince us. Because of your provision, we were able to escape sleeping in our cars and eating out of cans. Even though you weren’t hungry, you gave food to the rest of us. Most likely, you had an empty stomach when you went to sleep. You gave up a great deal for the two of us. You must be the league’s player with the highest total worth.
Wanda is certain that her sons were motivated to put in the necessary effort to succeed because she accomplished her goals via hard work. In an interview with NBA.com, she said, “I continued to give them my love, my time, my presence, and being as engaged as I possibly could.” “After giving my life some thought, I realized that my sons were able to follow in my footsteps and achieve their goals because I never lost hope for them.”
She has been Kevin’s biggest fan both on and off the court, and she is currently pursuing a career in motivational speaking and philanthropy with the aim of improving lives in impoverished communities.
And just who is this Wanda Durant, exactly? To find out more about her incredible life story, her numerous deeds of kindness, and the significant work she is currently undertaking, keep reading.
She endeavors to inspire others by giving speeches on a regular basis.One of the keystones of Wanda’s ideology, according to content on her website MamaDurant.com, is the notion that “where there is hope, there is possibility.” “Her passion is to inspire underprivileged children, single mothers, and communities to move beyond their immediate circumstances and aim for higher heights in life,” according to her biography.
She has spoken to crowds at the Ford Foundation, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference, and the United State of Women Summit at the White House.
Along with her husband, she is in charge of the Durant Family Foundation’s management.The organization’s name reflects its goal, which is to “enrich the lives of at-risk youth from low-income backgrounds through educational, athletic, and social programs.”
Conversely, the Durants believe that several of the group’s initiatives have personal significance for them. Given that Prince George’s County is home to Kevin’s hometown of Bowie, Maryland, the foundation gave the local institution a $500,000 donation in 2022 so that it may update its basketball facilities.
The place that I call “my home.” We have a close relationship with the people that live in PG County and the areas surrounding Bowie State University. Everything came together nicely for this to happen because it was the first historically black college or university (HBCU) in Maryland and Kevin played basketball there.
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 declared, “I’m Kevin’s biggest fan,” during an interview with Essence. That’s it; from now on we’ll just refer to him as Kevin. I understand that there will be supporters and detractors on both sides of the arena as a professional athlete. Whatever happens, I will always be his mother. That much will never change. What other people think about it is irrelevant. I think he’s a pretty amiable person overall.
She has been the center of attention for Kevin’s supporters and well-wishers as he recovers from his wounds.
Due to a series of challenging injuries sustained during the 2018–19 season, Durant was sidelined for Game 5 of the NBA Finals. He missed the game due to a ruptured Achilles tendon and a calf injury, among other issues. “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,” Wanda said in an interview with Good Morning America. “We appreciate it immensely” as a result.The film industry has given her high marks.The first episode of the biographical film The Real MVP: The Wanda Durant Story, which is based on Wanda’s life, aired on Lifetime in 2016. The story’s theme revolved around a family’s efforts to help their two sons develop in spite of the challenging circumstances they were forced to live in. In the film produced by Queen Latifah, Pauletta Washington played the starring role.
She has no problem at all expressing her support for her son’s chosen professional route in public.Wanda has always stood up for Kevin when he has been the target of criticism during his career as a basketball player. Bleacher Report claims that ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith publicly stated that Kevin might have harmed his reputation by joining the Brooklyn Nets in 2022, given that player Kyrie Irving’s questionable actions have overshadowed the team’s on-court success. Smith mentioned in his remarks that Irving’s antics have overshadowed the team’s on-court accomplishments.
Wanda responded to Smith on Twitter by posing the question, “When will you show up better?”Smith declared in public that “I love the NBA moms and they all know that” in response to the criticism. She is among the most amazing people in the National Basketball Association that I have ever met. That being said, feel free to say whatever you want to me in person, on Twitter, or in any other context. You should anticipate nothing less than the utmost deference and respect from me, as this is how I truly feel about you. I was therefore not bothered by anything she said. Since she is the mom, it is totally appropriate for her to advocate for her child in this way.
She is devoted to raising awareness of thyroid eye illness and Graves disease.Even though Wanda had been diagnosed with thyroid-associated Graves disease seventeen years prior, she struggled to receive a diagnosis of the linked ailment thyroid eye disease (TED).
Wanda expressed her misgivings to Ebony in 2022, stating, “I would have been more carefully monitoring my eyes and seeing a TED Eye Specialist if I had known about the risk of TED sooner.” I’ve dedicated my life to preventing others from making the same mistakes I did as a result of this.