Stephen Ellison

Wanda Durant: MVP Mom Turned Motivational Speaker

While Kevin Durant continues to excel on the court for the Golden State Warriors, there is another player in his life, the NBA champ’s ultimate teammate -- part-time mentor, part-time coach and full-time mom, Wanda Durant.

KD has called her the real MVP.

"We weren’t suppose to be here; you made us believe, you kept us off the streets," KD said in his 2014 MVP speech. "You went to sleep hungry, you sacrificed for us, you’re the real MVP clapping."

In this raw video, Wanda Durant, mother of Warriors star Kevin Duramt, is honored at the Women's Achievement Network and Development Alliance event Sunday in Palo Alto.

A single mom of two boys by age 21, scraping to make it by, Wanda Durant said she was a broken woman determined to set a different path for her sons, with specific goals and clear intentions.

"I was loving, but I was tough and commanding," she said. "As a mother raising a son to be a man, I had a responsibility I could not falter on."

Momma Durant has taken her parenting mantra on the road as a speaker. On Sunday night, she took center court in Palo Alto to motivate struggling single moms getting an educational and financial assist from the Women's Achievement Network and Development Alliance, incidentally known as WANDA.

Wanda Durant's full-court press to WANDA recipients: "Don’t lose yourself as you sacrifice for your children."

"We as women need to take care of ourselves," she said.

With her son approaching a potential second NBA title, the thing about him that makes the MVP mom so proud is his humility and focus.

"He doesn’t say, 'I'm successful, I have one championship.' He says, 'I have to give it my all,'" Wanda Durant said.

For more information on WANDA, the organization, visit the website.

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