NBA Star Kevin Durant's Donation To Bowie State Produces NBA-Quality Basketball Court

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — The new NBA-quality basketball court at Bowie State University was unveiled Thursday with a ribbon cutting led by the Durant Family Foundation.

Prince George's native and NBA star Kevin Durant contributed $500,000 toward the court's cost through his foundation.

The gift, announced in December 2022, provided for upgrades to the gymnasium, including a new basketball court, added seating and a refurbished press box.

"When I walked into the gym I wasn't expecting this," the basketball star's mother Wanda Durant said. "It was so bright, revived, refreshed. It brought back memories of when my sons played here in the early years."

The foundation’s donation also supports the men and women’s basketball team and other university athletics programs in other ways.

“Kevin Durant has not only proven that he’s an elite basketball player, he is a giver,” said Clyde Doughty, Bowie State’s vice president for intercollegiate athletics and recreation. “With his gift through the Durant Foundation, we are now in this space which will be here for forever and a day. Everybody that walks into this facility now goes, ‘Wow!’”

Wanda Durant attended the ceremony and was visibly overcome with emotion. She shared what it meant to see how far she had come from the days of bringing her sons to play in Bowie State’s gym to being able to give back to the university’s athletics program.

“When I sit back and think about my son playing in this very gym at age nine, I never thought I’d be here this day,” Wanda Durant said. “I remember the many years I brought my sons here to play, sitting up in the bleachers and hollering at the referees. I never thought it would come to this.”

She also hoped that her son's gift could serve as an example to athletes across the country of the impact they could have in donating to historically Black colleges and universities, which have been historically underserved in terms of federal and state funding.

“I’m grateful that he realized that it’s important for him to give back to an HBCU, and maybe he can be a catalyst for other athletes throughout the country to give back to HBCUs,” Wanda Durant said.

Bowie State President Aminta Breaux added that the university does not receive state funding for its athletics program and it’s important for Bowie State to build relationships with individuals and organizations to provide the top-of-the-line resources to student-athletes, much like its relationship with Durant. Bowie State’s connection with Durant’s charity helps the university in a major way as it moves towards that goal.

“Bowie State’s partnership with the Durant Family Foundation has made our vision of an upgraded gymnasium a reality with improvements to the court and seating,” Breaux said. “This half a million-dollar gift by the Durant Family Foundation to Bowie State’s athletic department transformed basketball and it will energize the students behind me to get some wins.”

Durant’s donation to Bowie State is just the latest in the Seat Pleasant native’s philanthropic efforts in Prince George’s County. In 2019, Durant’s foundation partnered with College Track to establish College Track at the Durant Center in Suitland to help first-generation and low-income students pursue higher education.

The Durant Family Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 2013 by Kevin Durant. The mission of the foundation is to enrich the lives of at-risk youth from low-income backgrounds through education, athletic and social programs.

Related:

Kevin Durant, Foundation Donates $500K To BSU For New Basketball Court

Kevin Durant Donates $10 Million For PG County Kids: Report