The 'real MVP' speech that made Wanda Durant famous

Wanda Durant raised Kevin and his older brother Tony in a series of working-class apartments in Suitland and the Washington DC area. The family struggled with food security, frequent moves, and the absence of Kevin’s father (Wayne Pratt, who returned to the family later). Wanda worked two jobs — at the Bowie post office and as a security guard at one point — to keep the boys fed.

Durant’s 2014 NBA MVP speech contained one of the most-quoted moments in modern American sports: he turned to his mother in the audience and said ‘You made me believe. You kept us off the streets. You put clothes on our backs. You made sacrifices for me. You’re the real MVP.’ The speech made Wanda Durant a household name; she signed deals with Oprah’s network, Lifetime, and ESPN+ to talk about raising Kevin in subsequent years.

Multiple high schools, then Texas

Kevin started at National Christian Academy in Fort Washington, MD. He transferred to Oak Hill Academy (a basketball factory in Virginia) for his junior year, then to Montrose Christian School in Rockville, MD for his senior year. He was a five-star recruit and the consensus #2 prep prospect in 2006 (behind only Derrick Favors).

He chose the University of Texas over UNC, Duke, UConn, Memphis, and Georgia Tech in May 2006. He played one season for the Longhorns — averaging 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game in 2006-07 — and won the Naismith and Wooden Awards as the best player in college basketball. The Seattle SuperSonics took him 2nd overall in the 2007 NBA Draft (Greg Oden went 1st).

Suitland and the DMV after Durant

Suitland and the broader Washington DC area (the ‘DMV’ — DC, Maryland, Virginia) has produced a remarkable basketball pipeline since Durant. Active or recently-retired NBA players from the area: Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony (DC, technically Brooklyn-born), Markelle Fultz, Kevin Garnett (originally Mauldin SC, but trained in DC), Jeff Green, Tee Morant (Ja Morant’s older cousin), and a strong AAU pipeline led by the DC-Assault and Team Takeover programs.

Durant has remained connected to Suitland and the DMV. He funded the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation in 2013, which has rebuilt 5 community basketball courts in DC and PG County, funded a college scholarship program, and rebuilt the Boys & Girls Club on Suitland Road. He returns each off-season for charity work and has hosted youth-basketball camps in the DMV every summer since 2009.

Background facts cross-referenced with the Wikipedia article on Kevin Durant and Pro-Football-Reference / Basketball-Reference public records. Lead image via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).