Kevin Durant Donates $10 Million to Hometown Where 80% Lived in Poverty

Kevin Durant grew up in Seat Pleasant, Maryland — a small city just outside Washington, D.C., where 80 percent of the Black population lived in poverty.

He donated $10 million to build a college-prep center there.

The center is called the Durant Center.

It opened in 2018.

It was established through a partnership between Durant, Prince George's County Public Schools, and College Track — an after-school program that helps underserved students prepare for college.

The Durant Center was the first of three College Track centers planned for the Washington, D.C., area, according to The Washington Post.

College Track had operated for more than two decades in California before expanding to Seat Pleasant.

By 2018, its programs nationwide had helped 3,000 students enroll in college.

The Durant Center offers a 10-year program.

It provides academic support, test preparation, financial aid resources, and guidance in choosing the colleges best suited to each student's needs.

Durant wrote about his experience growing up in a 2018 article for Andscape.

He described a predominantly Black neighborhood where poverty, crime, and police brutality were everyday realities.

Basketball, he wrote, provided an escape.

"I had a laser focus on achieving what was necessary to leave my community," he wrote.

Looking back, he said he wished he had realized sooner how he could give back.

"We need to invest in our own communities," he wrote.

"Invest in our kids."

The $10 million donation put that belief into action.

Durant told The Washington Post: "I want to do my part, whatever it is."

That quote reflects his dedication to expanding educational opportunities for young people.

He added: "I believe communities will blossom and our country as a whole will be better because of it."

The Durant Center is a reflection of his conviction that investing in the youth can create lasting, positive change.

Seat Pleasant is a city of about 4,500 people in Prince George's County, Maryland.

Durant was born in Washington, D.C., on September 29, 1988, and moved to Seat Pleasant as a child.

He attended National Christian Academy in Fort Washington, Maryland, and later Montrose Christian School in Rockville, Maryland.

He played one season of college basketball at the University of Texas before being drafted second overall by the Seattle SuperSonics in 2007.

The franchise moved to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder the following year.

Durant played seven seasons for the Thunder, winning four scoring titles, an MVP award, and leading the team to four Western Conference Finals appearances and one NBA Finals.

He left the Thunder in 2016 to join the Golden State Warriors, a move that created lasting bitterness with some Oklahoma City fans.

But in his hometown, the focus has always been on what he built, not where he played.

The Durant Center sits at 6201 Lamar Place in Seat Pleasant.

It serves students from grades 6 through 12 and continues to support them through college graduation.

College Track reports that 95 percent of its students are accepted into four-year colleges and universities.

The program emphasizes not just getting in, but staying in — with ongoing support for college persistence.

Durant has spoken publicly about the importance of education in breaking cycles of poverty.

He has said he wants the center to be a place where kids can see a path forward.

"I want to do my part, whatever it is," he told The Washington Post.

The $10 million donation was one of the largest single charitable contributions by an NBA player at the time.

Durant has also donated to other causes, including youth sports programs, disaster relief, and social justice initiatives.

But the Durant Center remains his most direct investment in his own community.

It is a place he has visited multiple times since its opening.

He has met with students, attended events, and spoken about the importance of hard work and education.

In his Andscape article, Durant wrote that growing up, he didn't always see a clear way out.

He saw neighbors struggling.

He saw friends lost to violence.

He saw the system fail people he loved.