Photo:KENA BETANCUR/AFP/Getty
KENA BETANCUR/AFP/Getty
Basketball proKevin Durantmay have been theNBA Finals Most Valuable Playerin 2014 and 2017, but according to him, his mother Wanda Durant is “the real MVP.”
When Kevin was just an infant, and his brother Anthony was just a toddler, their father abandoned the family and left Wanda as a single mother at 21.
Wanda believes that modeling perseverance and hard work despite enormous challenges inspired her sons to work hard to achieve their own dreams. “I continued to give them my love, my time, my presence and being as engaged as I possibly could,” she toldNBA.com. “After looking over my life, I realized that having hope and not quitting gave my sons the opportunity to live out their dreams and do the same.”
She’s Kevin’s biggest fan on and off the court, and now she’s also a motivational speaker and philanthropist working to give people in underserved communities chances to succeed.
But who is Wanda Durant? Read on to learn about her inspirational journey, her philanthropy and the important work she does today.
She’s a motivational speaker
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Wanda’s philosophy is “where there is hope, there is possibility,” as she says on her website,MamaDurant.com. Her bio reads, “Her passion is to inspire underserved children, single mothers and communities to move beyond their immediate circumstances and to aim for higher heights in life.”
She has spoken for corporate groups like J.P. Morgan Chase and for organizations like the Ford Foundation, The White House United State of Women Summit and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference.
She helps run the Durant Family Foundation
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The charityhelps support underprivileged kids around the world, working under the mission statement: “To enrich the lives of at-risk youth from low-income backgrounds through educational, athletic and social programs.”
However, some of the organization’s work hits especially close to home for the Durants. In 2022, the foundation donated $500,000 toward renovating the basketball courts at Bowie State University, near where Kevin grew up in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
“It’s home … Bowie State is pretty much our background and PG County is who we know and it’s a part of who we are. It being the first HBCU in Maryland along with Kevin playing in that gym — all of the stars aligned for this to take place,” Wanda said.
In addition to her family charity, Wanda is involved with groups like the Single Parents Support Network, Baller Moms, The Boys & Girls Club of America and Mothers of Professional Basketball Players. She’s alsoon the board of Tigress Financial Partners, working to educate women about financial literacy.
She’s Kevin’s biggest fan on and off the court
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Mama Durant, as she’s known, often speaks publicly on television and in interviews about her support of her son.
“I’m Kevin’s biggest fan,” she toldEssencein 2022. “He’s always going to be Kevin and that’s it. I understand the arena in which he’s in and being a professional athlete, you are going to have some who love him, but some don’t. I’m still his mom so it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter what other people say. I enjoy him.”
She’s been the voice of gratitude to Kevin’s fans through his injuries
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Durant dealt with a string of difficult injuries during the 2018-2019 season, coming back from a calf injury only torupture his Achilles tendonduring game 5 of the NBA finals. “To the fans all over the world who have sent us their prayers, who have contacted me over my social media, sent general responses, I’m just so grateful and our family is thankful,” Wanda toldGood Morning America. “And so for that, we have complete gratitude.”
“He’s having a rough time right now … but we’re going to be okay,” she added.
She’s been celebrated on the big screen
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She’s outspoken in defense of her son’s career choices
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Wandaresponded on Twitterwith some harsh words for Smith, saying in part, “when will you show up better?”
Smith responded publicly, saying, “She’s one of the most special people I’ve ever encountered in the NBA, and I love the NBA moms and they all know that. You can say whatever you want to me, about me, to my face, on Twitter, whatever the case may be. I’m gonna do nothing but show you the utmost respect and deference because that’s how I genuinely feel about you. So, I take no offense to what she said. She’s speaking up for her son and she has every right to do that.”
She’s an advocate for Graves disease and thyroid eye disease
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Wanda was diagnosed with Graves disease, a thyroid disorder, 17 years ago — but she struggled to get a diagnosis of thyroid eye disease (TED), an affiliated condition, and is now working to bring awareness to the condition.
“Had I learned about the risk of TED sooner, I would have been more carefully monitoring my eyes and seeing a TED Eye Specialist,” Wanda toldEbonyin 2022. “That’s why I’m on a mission to help others not live with this blind spot for as long as I have.”
source: people.com
