Two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant is paying it forward this holiday season. The Brooklyn Nets star has provided Bowie State University with a generous donation for the creation of a reimagined basketball arena.
The $500,000 gift was made through the Durant Family Foundation; a nonprofit that has a mission rooted in empowering youth from underserved communities through initiatives that sit at the intersection of sports and education. Bowie State University—which is the oldest historically Black institution in the state of Maryland—holds high significance for Durant as it was one of the places where he competed as a teenager.
The Durant family’s donation will go towards the refurbishment of the school’s basketball court and the renovation of its bleachers and press box. The gift will also support the creation of scholarships. Durant’s mother, Wanda “The Real MVP” Durant, presented the donation to the school before the women’s and men’s basketball teams at the Leonidas S. James Physical Education Complex.
“We are dedicated to providing resources and possibilities to students for higher education, especially in Prince George’s County,” she said. “Bowie State was the perfect place to make a meaningful impact.”
Aminta Breaux, who serves as President of Bowie State University, shared the Durant family’s donation will have a tremendous impact. “We’re grateful for the resources that Kevin Durant and his family foundation have generously donated to Bowie State University to advance student success in achieving their academic goals,” she shared. “His contributions will go a long way towards updating our facilities and ensure a top-tier athletic experience for all of our students. The foundation has already built a network of community-centric services within the Durant Center in Prince George’s County that is exemplary.”
News about the gift comes three years after Durant opened an after-school center for youth in Maryland.
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