NBA All-Star In spite of Kevin Durant’s two MVP awards from the NBA Finals (in 2014 and 2017), he insists that his mother, Wanda Durant, is “the real MVP.”

Kevin and Anthony’s father left them when they were infants, leaving their mother Wanda a single parent at the age of 21.

It seemed like the deck was stacked against us. “By the time you were 21, you were a single parent raising two boys,” Kevin joked as he accepted the 2014 MVP award. The two of us shouldn’t even be here. The faith that we had in you was restored. You made sure we didn’t go hungry or naked and saved us from having to sleep on the floor. You fed the rest of us while you weren’t hungry. You probably went to bed starving. You gave up something important for us. True MVP status goes to you.

Wanda thinks she taught her sons how to overcome obstacles by working hard despite tough circumstances. “I continued to give them my love, my time, my presence and being as engaged as I possibly could,” she explained to NBA.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 has been Kevin’s biggest supporter on and off the court, and she is now a philanthropist and motivational speaker dedicated to improving the lives of those in marginalized regions.

Who, exactly, is Wanda Durant? Keep reading to find out about her incredible life story, her generous giving, and the vital work she conducts now.

She gives speeches to inspire others.

For Wanda, “where there is hope, there is possibility,” as she puts it on her blog at MamaDurant.com. Her Wikipedia entry states, “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 addressed audiences at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference, as well as the United State of Women Summit at the White House and the Ford Foundation.

She is an integral part of the Durant Family Foundation, which she helps manage.

Mission Statement: “To enrich the lives of at-risk youth from low-income backgrounds through educational, athletic, and social programs.”

The Durants, however, find a number of the group’s initiatives to be personally meaningful. Kevin’s hometown of Bowie, Maryland is located in Prince George’s County, therefore in 2022, the foundation gave $500,000 to renovate the university’s basketball courts there.

‘This is where my heart is…’ We come from a Bowie State education background and consider PG County home. “All the stars aligned for this to happen, what with it being the first HBCU in Maryland and Kevin playing in that gym,” Wanda said.

Wanda is active with the Single Parents Support Network, Baller Moms, the Boys & Girls Club of America, and the Mothers of Professional Basketball Players, in addition to the charity she founded with her family. In addition to her work in the field of financial education for women, she serves on the board of Tigress Financial Partners.

She supports Kevin 100% both on and off the court.

Mama Durant, as she is affectionately called, frequently appears on television and in interviews to express her pride in and encouragement of her son.

She declared to Essence in 2022, “I’m Kevin’s biggest fan.” That’s it; he’ll always be Kevin. As a professional athlete, I realize that there will always be fans and detractors in his audience. Because I am still his mother, it makes no difference. It’s irrelevant what other people think. His charm and wit make my life better.