Lessons from Kevin Durant's Mom: Hard Work is Worth It
Kevin Durant is all over the news right now as he leads the Oklahoma City Thunder through the playoffs, but more interesting has been the recent mentions of his mother in sports news. The other night, ESPN and AP reported that Durant was struggling in a game until he spotted his mom dancing in the stands, enjoying herself, and something in him relaxed, and subsequently he turned his game around.
The next day, ESPN.com profiled Durant as a humble hard worker, raised by a strong single mother who taught him the value of hard work and family. Successful athletes routinely have the spotlight on them, but the recent attention to Durant's mother, Wanda Pratt, is refreshing because it takes more than one person to make a career, and in Durant's case, his mother's dedication and sacrifice for her children helped make him into a success. Wanda Pratt deserves applause as much as her son.
The back story begins in a not uncommon place: a single mother introduces her sons to a local rec center and basketball as a way of keeping them busy and out of trouble. The abbreviated version would jump to young Kevin's skills quickly being noticed by a coach, who helped guide him to college and the pros, but that would ignore the heart of the story. Wanda never thought about the pros, she wanted to get her sons on a path toward college, while giving them a safe refuge after school. Wanda worked nights, while Kevin's grandmother and aunt helped out. She paused while stating what sounded like a simple childcare fact to a group of Sports Moms gathered by Gatorade, but the tears she fought back expressed more about the story. Wanda worked nights loading heavy mail bags into postal trucks to help support her two boys. She worked hard and it was lesson taught to her sons, as well.
Kevin decided at about age 11 that he wanted to play basketball professionally, and he knew from Wanda that he'd have to work hard to achieve his dream. This meant working beyond standard practices and sacrificing a normal social life. Wanda said he didn't go to the movies or out with friends much until his later high school years. While his friends may have been hanging out after school, Kevin took a bus, plus a 15 minute run to get to meet with is coach every day. That doesn't mean he didn't want to give up. There were times he wanted to skip practice or give up, but quitting wasn't made easy for him.
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