NBA players are some of the most-well paid athletes (and some of the most well-paid people overall) in the world. Many people also look up to these athletes to be important role models, activists, and influential figures in their communities. The NBA has also pushed their philanthropic activities heavily in the last few years, and so have many players in the league, including its biggest stars.
What is Kevin Durant’s charity? Kevin Durant’s charity goes by the name of The Kevin Durant Charity Foundation. Kevin Durant’s charity was founded to “enrich lives of at-risk youth from low-income backgrounds through education, athletic and social programs.”
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Kevin Durant founded the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation in 2013, about 6 years after he was drafted in the NBA. The charity remains active at present.
Kevin Durant has not explicitly stated the reason for creating the foundation, but he has spoken about why he’s always wanted to give back. Kevin Durant has touched on his own childhood in a low-income background, where it was easy to be tempted by the “street life.” However, with support from his mother Wanda and others around him, Durant picked up a basketball, which made it easier to resist those temptations of going down the wrong path. As Durant become a star in the league, which he thought was improbable, he’s said that basketball is just a platform for him to be able to inspire people. As such, the aim of his charity stems from Durant’s own background, which is why he is so passionate about it. Durant feels that it is his obligation to help youth just like him to follow their own paths and ensure their success.
The Kevin Durant Charity Foundation is headquartered in Prince George’s County, just outside Washington, DC, which is where Kevin Durant grew up. However, the activities of the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation take place nationwide, as well as certain international activities.
The Kevin Durant Charity Foundation was founded with the aim of helping at-risk youth from low-income background by engaging them with educational, athletic, and social programs. The headquarters of the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation, known as the Durant Center, act as a community hub, where activities and programs are conducted. The main purpose of the Durant Center is to act as Prince George’s County branch for College Track, a nationwide college completion program. In 2018, the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation committed $10 million dollars to bring the College Track program to Prince George’s county, spearheaded by Durant himself, who saw the benefits of the program in Oakland, California, during his tenure with the Golden State Warriors.
The Kevin Durant Charity Foundation also provides athletics programs, namely basketball programs. The Team Durant Basketball Program was “created to encourage and promote high level youth development by providing educational, athletic, and personal growth.” The program currently contains a total of 18 boys and girls basketball teams, who along with playing basketball, participate in community outreach activities. So far, athletes from the Team Durant Basketball Program have received over $350 million worth of scholarship money.
The Kevin Durant Charity Foundation started the “Build It and They Will Ball” initiative in 2015, designed to provide basketball courts to underprivileged children. This initiative was highlighted by Durant as a way to “give kids a chance to choose health, teamwork and basketball over some of the negative influences they may face.” The initiative constructs and renovates courts across the United States, and has also expanded internationally in countries such as Germany, China, Taiwan, and India.
The Kevin Durant Charity Foundation expanded to provide emergency relief services in 2020, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The charity provided a variety of emergency relief, such as masks, food, financial payments, and other services across the country. The charity has also been involved with other emergency relief services in 2021, including providing support during the Texas power crisis and the Haiti earthquake.
Kevin Durant is the founder of the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation, and he is also a spokesperson and representative for the charity. Durant actively attends events and campaigns, either as part of his charity or to promote his charity’s activities.
Kevin Durant has remained philanthropic outside of his charity, the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation. He has partnered with the NBA Players Association Foundation to give matching donations. He has also partnered with fellow NBA players’ charities, such as John Wall’s charity based in Washington and Buddy Hield’s charity in the Bahamas.
Some of Durant’s charitable acts include donating $1 million in collaboration with Degree to support grassroots sports and leadership programs across the country in 2020. In 2013, Durant donated $1 million to the Red Cross to support victims of the tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma: inspired by Durant, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Nike decided to pledge donations of their own. Based on Durant’s philanthropic nature and history, it is not unlikely that he is involved in other charities or foundations that have not been publicized or promoted by him.
Nearly all NBA players and organizations, and the NBA itself, continuously donate to charitable causes. Some have made philanthropy one of the major activities of their life off the court. Some of the biggest NBA stars to have their own charities include LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Steph Curry, and John Wall. The NBA’s charity is known as NBA Cares.
NBA players are some of the biggest stars on the planet, and with the limelight on them, it is nice to see many of them give back to their communities and use their platform for good. Kevin Durant is one of the biggest NBA stars, and his heart is just as big, if not bigger: his charity, the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation, continues to do good things for communities around the world, led by Durant himself.
