Wanda Durant (56), the mother of the well-known American basketball star and two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant, had a difficult life raising her two sons on her own after their father left. Nonetheless, she rose above it and gave the world one of the best basketball players, while building an impeccable pedigree as an advocate, businesswoman, and philanthropist on her own.
Mama Durant established HDBA, LLC (Hope, Dream, Believe, and Achieve), a platform devoted to assisting parents in raising their children. Wanda Durant The Real MVP is her non-profit organization.
Here is her life story and how she encouraged herself to change her story.
Wanda Durant Hails From Cheverly, Maryland
Wanda Durant, also known as Mama Durant, was born and raised in Cheverly, Maryland. There are a few contradictory accounts about her birth date, with several sites claiming she was born on September 23, 1967. However, on September 7, 2022, there was an Instagram post marking her 54th birthday, which means her date of birth was September 7, 1967, meaning she is currently 56 years old
Details about her early life and family background are now unavailable to the media. Nonetheless, the information available stated that her mother is Barbara Davis and she has a sister named Michelle D. Ridgely.
While growing up, she was taught the fundamentals of parenting, such as sacrifice, protection, and always providing for the family.
As for her education, the schools she attended as a child are unknown, however, her LinkedIn page shows she attended Strayer University in Herndon, Virginia.
Kevin Durant’s Mother Married Wayne Pratt At A Young Age
Kevin Durant’s mother and Wayne Pratt were previously married. The exact date the two met and married is unknown, but we do know they began having children while they were young.
Moreover, Mama Durant became a mother at the age of 18 when she gave birth to her first son, Anthony “Tony” Pratt on January 6, 1986, before later having Kevin Durant on September 29, 1988. Unfortunately, the marriage ended when Kevin was just 9 months old. The reason for the split has not been given.
As a result, she became a single mother and decided to raise her two sons on her own. Her mother Barbara Davis also helped her.
Unlike her ex-husband Wayne Pratt, who eventually remarried and had two additional children, Rayvonne Pratt and Brianna Pratt, Wanda never married again. Brianna and Rayvonne were both mistaken for Wanda and Wayne’s children.
See Also-Rayvonne Pratt: Is Kevin Durant’s Brother A Basketballer? Facts About Him
Wanda Single-Handedly Raised Kevin Durant And Anthony “Tony” Pratt
As previously said, Kevin Durant’s mother learned firsthand about raising a family from her mother. As a result, she used the same method to raise her children.
Tony, her oldest son, played high school and college basketball but did not make it to the NBA. According to reports, he is now an entrepreneur.
While her youngest son, Kevin, became one of the most talented basketball players of his generation. He was drafted in the 2007 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics after playing collegiately for the Texas Longhorns. Before joining the Phoenix Suns in 2023, he previously played for the Golden State Warriors and the Brooklyn Nets.
Kevin has won the NBA Championship twice with the Golden State Warriors, and he was awarded NBA MVP in 2014, as well as NBA Finals MVP in 2017 and 2018.
Wanda Durant’s Career
While the Cheverly native did an amazing job raising her children to greater heights, she also worked on herself. She actually performed well and has become an example to single ladies all around the world. This is due to Wanda’s realization that her mother, Barbara Davis, abandoned her aspirations in order to raise her family, but she chose not to make the same mistake.
Even though she did not know what she wanted in life at first, she found the confidence to pursue her dreams and aspirations. Fortunately, things worked out for her.
As previously stated, she is now an advocate, businesswoman, and philanthropist. Armed with the information she had gain from her experiences, she was ready to assist others in overcoming obstacles and realizing their aspirations.
To that end, she established HDBA (Hope, Dream, Believe, and Achieve) to share her parenting experiences and the methods she used to raise her two kids to be responsible and successful individuals.
It is not enough for her to simply relate her experiences; she also wants contribute to the betterment of humanity. She has been able to accomplish this through the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation. Moreover, she started her own non-profit Wanda Durant The Real MVP, and works with several non-profits including Mothers of Professional Basketball Players, Single Parents Support Networth, and Baller Moms.
Apart from these, she delivered speeches to several organizations and forums that cut across non-profit, finance, religion, and schools.