It was the real MVP who showed up to deliver the 2024 commencement speech at Bowie State University. Wanda Durant, mother of NBA all-star Kevin Durant, delivered a heartfelt message to a community of students that is dear to her heart.
Durant raised her family in the shadow of Bowie in Capitol Heights, Maryland, a neighboring town in Prince George’s county. To local residents Wanda Durant is simply known as Mama Durant. It didn’t take her long to settle into her familiar role after breaking away from her prepared remarks on Friday.
“OK. Let me just be Mama Durant,” she said after going into a more extemporaneous moment with Bowie’s graduates.
“When I stand here and look at you graduates, I see myself, I see my sons,” she continued.
“See, I know what it takes to persevere. I came from the streets of Capitol Heights, Maryland. At the time it was the drug capital of the world,” as the crowd roared acknowledging the hometown connection.
“All of your success is not just for your glory. It’s for you to look back to those coming behind you. Continue to pave the way for them” Durant said.
“I had to raise two sons on my own when I was fearful and not knowing who I was or what I had to offer the world. I had to do what you did and continue to strive on,” Durant said. “I made a promise to them that we were going to have a plan. Not just dreams but a plan attached to it.”
Those plans definitely manifested as her son Kevin has since gone on to 14 NBA All-Star appearances.
As president of the Durant Family Charitable Foundation, Durant spearheads initiatives aimed at enriching the lives of youth from low-income backgrounds through educational, athletic and social programs. She has been the keynote speaker for several nationally and internationally known organizations including J.P. Morgan Chase, The Ford Foundation and other corporations and non-profits.
Last year Kevin Durant made news when the Durant Family Foundation committed $500,000 towards renovations of the basketball arena in the Leonidas S. James Physical Education Complex at BSU. Renovations will include installation of a new basketball court, expansion of seating capacity and upgrades to the press box area. The gift will also provide financial support for men’s and women’s basketball and university athletics programs. It also will establish a scholarship for Durant Center College Track students who attend BSU.