Following a title-clinching 129-120 Game 5 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night, Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant had a heart-warming moment with his biggest fan, his mother Wanda, prior to an interview with ESPN/ABC‘s sideline reporter Doris Burke.
“You hear me?,” Wanda Durant said turning her son's face toward her. “It don't matter what nobody says. Look at me.”
“You did it. I'm proud of you son.”
This moment is as iconic as Kevin Durant's speech upon being named the league's 2014 Most Valuable Player, when he famously credited his mother for being “the real MVP” for all the work and sacrifice she put forward for him to achieve his NBA dream.
Their post-game interaction and complete disregard of the media present right in front of their eyes is just as symbolic about their close-knit relationship.
Wanda Durant has heard, read, and dealt with as many rants from the media about his offseason choice and the criticism that derived from it as he has throughout the calendar year.
A victorious ending in front of his home crowd and a consequent parade set for Thursday in Oakland is the long-awaited reward for a year filled with questions and seemingly never-ending drama between him and former Oklahoma City Thunder star teammate Russell Westbrook.
In that moment, Durant wasn't a scoring demon or a 2017 NBA Finals MVP, or KD — he was a son to a mother that endured his transition into a new city in every step of the way.
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