Because of his reputation over the last few years, fans often forget that Kevin Durant had a difficult upbringing before he entered the NBA. As a child, Durant was raised by his mother, Wanda, and because of this, the two have an incredibly close relationship with each other.
Growing up, Durant’s father, Wayne Pratt, separated from his mother and their kids. As a result, Durant was raised by Wanda alone. Durant loves his mother very dearly and has spoken about her in glowing terms.
During his 2014 MVP speech, he famously called his mom ‘The Real MVP’ for raising him and providing for him when they didn’t have a lot of money. One of Durant’s goals in the NBA would have been to earn enough money to provide for his mother and give her the life she deserves.
Durant’s father leaving had a major impact on his life. Seeing his father walk out of his life caused him to take his mother’s last name. As a result, we now know him as Kevin Durant. If his father had stayed with the family, he would have been called Kevin Pratt.
Durant and his father reconciled by the time Durant was 13, and he became a crucial part of his life. He attributed leaving Wanda and Kevin to his youth and immaturity and has mentioned that it is one of the biggest regrets of his life. But he and Kevin are now very close and share a good relationship.
As for KD and his mom, we still see her at many Brooklyn Nets games, cheering on her son and beaming with pride seeing the incredible player he has become. She even consoled Durant after the Nets’ shocking loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2021 Playoffs.
She and KD’s childhood friend PJ Tucker shared a heartwarming moment during the 2021 NBA playoffs when she was shouting at Tucker for fouling KD, and he responded by telling her he loves her, and she responded in kind. Wanda Durant has become an iconic fan figure in the NBA.
