- Wanda Durant is the founder and CEO of the motivational platform called Hope, Dream, Believe and Achieve (HDBA, LLC).
- She became a teenage mother at 18, married Durant’s father Wayne Pratt at 21, and split before Durant’s first birthday.
- The motivational speaker single-handedly raised Durant and his older brother, Anthony (Tony) Durant, and is now encouraging single mothers around to do the same.
Wanda Durant popularly known as Mama Durant is the mother of Kevin Durant, the American professional basketball player who currently plays as a small forward for the Brooklyn Nets of the NBA. Her son’s prowess on the court draws the media attention to her for being the woman that raised him to become what he is today. Besides being a celebrity mother, she has built and developed herself into a vigorous leader, advocate, entrepreneur, and philanthropist.
For raising her sons as a single mother, she has become a model to many single women around the world, that they could do the same. Therefore, she created an avenue to share her personal stories about parenting.
To know more about her personality and life, read through this post.
Early Life and Career of Mama Durant
Although there are conflicting details regarding the exact day and month of her birth, she is believed to be born in the year 1967 in Cheverly, Maryland. She grew up in a family where she learned the basics of parenting such as sacrificing, providing, and protecting the family at all costs. These things she learned would later become helpful as she became a parent.
When she started her home years later, Kevin Durant’s mother realized that her mother never followed her dreams, and so she was never taught how to follow hers. She did not know about what she wanted to do, but she later realized her dreams and pursued them.
Today, she is the founder and CEO of the motivational platform called Hope, Dream, Believe, and Achieve (HDBA, LLC). Through this platform, she rolls out a blueprint for parenting, which comes from her experiences as a mother who brought up her two sons successfully.
Apart from this, she is passionate about charity. She feeds this appetite for philanthropy through her time and support to the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation and other non-profits foundations such as Single Parents Support Network, Baller Moms, Positive Tomorrows, The Boys and Girls Club of America, and Mother of Professional Basketball players. Recently, she started her non-profit foundation, Wanda Durant The Real MVP Charity, Inc.
She has spoken to many audiences that cover, corporate, non-profit, financial, community-based organizations, faith based-groups, college campuses, and the youth. She also delivered keynote speeches to the J.P. Morgan Foundation, The White House United States of Women Summit, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference, NBA Cares, and many others.
Was She Ever Married?
She was once married to Wayne Pratt. Before the marriage, she had a son for him, Anthony (Tony) Durant, and later after the marriage, she gave birth to Kevin Durant on 29th September 1988.
Even though there isn’t much about Pratt, a thorough investigation revealed that he was 23 when he bailed out on her and their two kids. Her youngest son was still crawling on all fours (9 months old) when the marriage ended.
At 21, Mama Durant was raising her two sons, with the help of their grandmother Barbara Davis. Her eldest Tony is now an entrepreneur, while Kevin is one of the outstanding players in the NBA. Currently, he is a 2-time NBA champion, 2-time NBA Finals MVP, and NBA MVP (2014).
According to reports, when Kevin was 13, his father resurfaced and wanted to be part of his life. It was also said that he even traveled with him to some of his basketball tournaments, but the NBA player was ice cold.
It took about a decade before the Brooklyn Nets small forward rekindled the relationship with his father. To prove that there is no bad blood between the two, Wanda Durant’s ex-husband now advises him behind the scenes. It was said that he played a key role in one of Kevin’s most controversial career decisions, telling him to “be selfish” and go for the juiciest offer when the NBA player became a free agent.
Pratt is now a police officer and currently married to another woman, with whom he shares a son and daughter.
See Also- Gloria Marie James- 10 Unknown Facts About LeBron James’ Mother
5 Interesting Facts About Wanda Durant
1. She is a Grandmother
Mama Durant once revealed that she expects two daughters-in-law and grandchildren from her two sons. Although none of them is married, her wish of having grandkids came to pass when Tony had a son, Deuce. He was born on 14th November 2018.
2. She Shared Her Life Story Through a Movie
The mother of the Brooklyn Nets player shared the story of how she raised her two sons when her marriage ended in a movie titled, The Real MVP: The Wanda Durant Story (2016). It was produced by musical artist, TV producer, and actress Dana Owen popularly known as Queen Latifah. And stars Cassandra Freeman who plays the role of young and single mother Wanda Durant, Daniel Bellomy as Kevin Durant, Jesse Muhoozi as young Tony, and Pauletta Washington as Barbara.
3. How Rich is She?
Mama Durant is estimated to have a net worth that is above $5 million. It is not clear how she made the money, but it’s obvious she is earning from her career as a motivational speaker. It is also possible that she made money from her 2016 movie, The Real MVP: The Wanda Story.
While her son is said to have a net worth of $170 million, thus making him one of the richest athletes in the world. So far, he earned a whopping $300 million from his basketball career. It is expected that the figure will go up after signing a four-year contract extension with the Nets in August 2021 worth $194.2 million. The contract keeps him at the club till 2026, and he will earn $53 million in the final year.
He also makes money from the number of businesses he owns in part or major such as MLS side, Philadelphia Union, and KD’s Kitchen. He has endorsement deals with Nike, Sprint, Gatorade, General Electric, and 2K Sports.
4. Mama Durant Has Enjoyed Wide Media Coverage
She has written her name in gold, but what stood her out among her peers was how she raised her two sons as a single mother. And when Kevin became famous that put the spotlight on her. Therefore, she has received wide coverage from both national and international media. She has been featured on CNN, Comcast Sports, ABC, and CBS, Good Morning America, The Wendy Williams Show and The Today Show, and many others.
5. She Loves Cooking
When she is not busy attending events and giving speeches, or watching her son’s games, she spends her time cooking. There are times she helps with recipes. These are mostly seen on her Instagram page where she also tells people where to shop for their groceries.
Complete profile of Wanda Durant
| Wanda Durant | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Wanda Durant |
| Date of Birth | 7 September, 1967 |
| Age | 57 years |
| Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
| Birth place | Cheverly, Maryland, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Entrepreneur and Philanthropist |
| Father | NA |
| Mother | Barbara Davis |
| Siblings | NA |
| Marital Status | Divorced |
| Spouse/Partner | Wayne Pratt |
| Boyfriend | NA |
| Kids | Rayvonne Pratt, Kevin Durant, Tony Pratt, Brianna Pratt |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Estimated Net Worth: | Above $5 million |
| Source of net worth | Business and others |
| Height | 6feet0inches |
| Weight | NA |
| Eye color | NA |
| Hair color | Black |
| Social media | Instagram |
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