Kevin Durant: “The Real MVP”


Image credit: Oleksiy Naumov/Shutterstock.com

In his acceptance speech after being named MVP of the NBA’s 2013-14 season, star Kevin Durant called his mom, Wanda Pratt, “the real MVP” for the sacrifices she made as a struggling single mom.

At age 21, Pratt was already raising two boys on her own. A federal employee in Maryland, she threw herself behind Durant and his love of sports, even if it meant sometimes dipping into her retirement money to finance his camps and team trips. Pratt counseled Durant to always finish what he started. “You made us believe; you kept us off the street,” Durant, former star of the Oklahoma City Thunder and current NBA Champion with the Golden State Warriors, said to his mom during his MVP speech. “You went to sleep hungry. You sacrificed for us.”

Pratt’s advice to other parents hoping to encourage their own talented children? “Never quit,” she told the Washington Post. “A way will be made.”

The following ESPN clip beautifully conveys the bond between Durant and his mom, and how she has been there for him every step of the way:


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