HBCU Bowie State finally renovates its gym thanks to Kevin Durant’s $500,000 donation

Kevin Durant and the Durant Family Foundation’s $500,000 pledge to Bowie State University (BSU) last year has blossomed into a new basketball facility. Kevin Durant’s mother, Wanda Durant, helped cut the ribbon on the new court on Thursday, according to WUSA9.

She said, “When I walked into the gym, I wasn’t expecting this. It was so bright, revived, refreshed. It brought back memories of when my sons played here in the early years.”

The donation was used to upgrade the bleachers, increase seats, and renovate the court in the Leonidas S. James Physical Education Complex at Bowie State. It was also used to enhance the press box’s broadcasting capabilities.

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“I am grateful to my son for his generous heart,” Wanda Durant said, according to ClutchPoints. “I am grateful that he realized that it’s important for him to give back to an HBCU, and maybe he will be a catalyst for other athletes in the area and throughout the country to give back to HBCUs.”

The funding from the Durant Family Foundation had a significant impact, according to BSU President Aminta Breaux, because the university does not receive financing from the state for athletics.

“It looks much more conducive to the type of environment that we need for our student-athletes to compete on and to win,” Breaux expressed. “But it’s also about the overall student experience and making sure that the students have the quality of facilities that they need… The Durant Foundation has stepped up in a unique and wonderful way to make this possible.”

A scholarship fund for Durant Center College Track students who attend Bowie State University was also established with the donation, in addition to arena upgrades.

Although the NBA player grew up close to Bowie State University, Maryland’s first historically black college or university, he didn’t enroll there.

In 2013, Kevin Durant established the nonprofit Durant Family Foundation. According to the foundation’s website, its goal is to improve the lives of at-risk youth from low-income backgrounds through education, athletic, and social programs.