Kevin Durant and his brother Tony have been through a lot together
Kevin Durant with his brother Tony Durant and mom Wanda Durant.
When Kevin Durant was drafted second overall from the University of Texas by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2007 NBA Draft, he turned to his brother Tony.
“He was the first person I hugged when my name was called,” Kevin said of the moment in a 2008 ESPN interview. “We went through so much together that people don’t know about … My mom always told us that in the end, we only have me and him, we only have each other. We’re sort of like the same person.”
Since then, Kevin has cemented his place in NBA history with accolades that include two championships, two Finals Most Valuable Player trophies, 14 All-Star appearances, and an NBA MVP award that prompted his now iconic speech thanking his mother, Wanda Durant. But the power forward also recognized his older brother, Tony in the speech for his contributions to his success.
All About Kevin Durant’s Mom Wanda Durant
“You’ve taught me to feel confident in myself, believe in myself; that I could do it when I didn’t think I could do it,” Kevin said, per The Oklahoman.
Apart from Tony, the Phoenix Suns star also has two half-siblings, Brianna and Rayvonne Pratt, from another relationship his father had. Kevin also thanked Rayvonne in his now-famous speech, saying in part, “Thank you for all the support. I love you.”
Here’s everything to know about Kevin Durant’s siblings: Brianna, Tony and Rayvonne.
Kevin and his brother Tony were raised by a single mom
Kevin Durant in the fourth quarter of game two of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs on April 23, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ; Tony Durant and Wanda Durant attend the Durant Family Foundation Turkey Meal Giveaway at Bishop McNamara High School on November 22, 2022 in Forestville, Maryland.
Kevin’s MVP acceptance speech in 2014 will go down as one of the most memorable in sports history, thanks to his poignant shout-out to his and Tony’s mom, Wanda. The NBA superstar shared the story of the single 21 year old working overnight shifts and oftentimes depriving herself to provide for himself and Tony.
“You made us believe,” Kevin said to his tearful mother from the podium. “Kept us off the street. Put clothes on our backs, food on the table. When you didn’t eat, you made sure we ate. You sacrificed for us. You the real MVP.”
Tony also referenced their mother’s perseverance later that same year in a sweet tribute on her birthday.
“Ma through everything that you have gone through with raising me and KD it’s nothing but an example of a real woman,” he wrote on Instagram. “I love u with everything I have in me you are my best friend my anchor my EVERYTHING.”
For Wanda, the sacrifices were a no-brainer. “I couldn’t quit, and there were times I wanted to quit, and I often said the sacrifice for me was not dying, that’s what I sacrificed for my kids, not checking out on them,” she told CBS News about her resilience in the face of adversity in a 2017 interview.
Tony was a basketball player
Kevin Durant and his brother Tony Durant.
Kevin may be a household name but Tony was also a Division I athlete. He started out at St. John’s Military School in Salina, Kan., before earning a roster spot at Butler Community College. His performance caught the attention of then-Towson University coach Pat Kennedy.
Tony finished his basketball career at Towson, a mid-major team based in Maryland. He didn’t have his brother’s trajectory, but Tony was never envious of Kevin’s success.
“My brother has worked hard to get to where he is, and I worked hard to get to where I am,” he said in a 2008 ESPN profile. “It’s all the same kind of hard work, but he’s at a different level than I am, obviously.”
Kevin and Tony lost two pillars in their family
Kevin Durant with his family at the EA Sports sponsored event launching the new NBA Live 08 game on June 26, 2007 in New York City.
While their mom Wanda worked to support her two young sons, Kevin and Tony spent quality time with their grandmother Barbara Davis and grandaunt Pearl. The small family moved into the matriarch’s home, according to The Athletic, where she helped take care of her grandsons.
She made them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and picked them up from school while Pearl helped with homework and watched cartoons and movies with the boys. Sadly, Pearl died at home from cancer when Kevin was 11 years old.
“She wanted to be there because that’s where all the memories that we had were,” Tony told The Oklahoman in 2013. “That’s where everything started. That’s the foundation of me and Kevin. We learned a lot of values in that house so it’s very important.”
As part of his ongoing commitment to bringing attention to cancers that affect women, Kevin dedicates a pair of sneakers to Pearl every year.
He also purchased a home and vehicle for Barbara to show his appreciation for her constant love and care. She died hours before the 2022 All-Star Game and the NBA’s 75th anniversary team ceremony, prompting Kevin, who had already stated he would not play in the game due to injury, to skip the festivities to spend time with his family.
Kevin and his brother Tony reconciled with their dad
Kevin Durant during the game against the Atlanta Hawks at Footprint Center on March 21, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Most fans are familiar with Kevin and Tony’s mom, but less so with their father, Wayne Pratt. With two young boys by the time he was 23, Wayne admitted that he was unable to cope with the demands of being a husband and father. He left the family when Kevin was around 1.
“I felt like I was immature, selfish, I was young. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” Wayne explained in an interview with The Washington Post in 2012. “But my sons helped me realize how important it was to be in their lives by always wanting me to be around.”
Wayne made amends with his now-ex-wife and asked for forgiveness from his two boys after nearly 10 years of estrangement.
“It’s never too late to be your kid’s father; it’s never too late,” he told the newspaper. “You have to try, we all make mistakes. But, you have to get back in there and fight. These young men really need us.”
Kevin’s half-siblings Brianna and Rayvonne prefer privacy
Wanda Pratt and Rayvonne Durant during the 2014 NBA Playoffs at the Chesapeake Arena on May 3, 2014 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Brianna and Rayvonne are Wayne’s children from a different relationship after he and Wanda split.
Their brother is one of the most accomplished basketball players in the world but Brianna and Rayvonne keep a low profile. The two are the younger siblings of Kevin and Tony but their exact ages are unknown. They also don’t seem to have a social media presence.
However, in his now-famous NBA MVP speech in 2014, Kevin gave a sweet nod to his younger brother.
“My little brother Rayvonne, you always followed after my footsteps,” he said, per The Oklahoman, adding, “I always want to set a good example for you, man. Thank you for all the support. I love you.”
Tony has two sons
Tony is now raising two boys of his own: He is a dad to Jadyn Harris, a junior at high school in Virginia. His younger son, Anthony Jr., is affectionately known as Deuce.
The brothers were spotted together in February 2024, supporting uncle Kevin when his Phoenix Suns traveled to Washington, D.C., to play the Wizards.
Tony doesn’t shy away from showering his boys with love on social media.
“Jadyn and Anthony y’all don’t know what y’all do for me, my 🌞’s,” he shared on Instagram in 2022. “You 2 are the most important things to me! I love you guys so much.”
Kevin’s family was the subject of a movie
Wanda Durant and Tony Durant during the second quarter of a preseason NBA basketball game on October 15, 2013.
In 2016, Lifetime released a biographical film titled The Real MVP: The Wanda Durant Story, which chronicles the significant challenges Wanda faced while raising Kevin and Tony as a single mother in a financially strained environment.
The TV movie — produced by Queen Latifah — showed her determination to guide them toward success both on and off the basketball court.
“This to me is so crazy our lives have really become a movie,” Tony shared on Instagram after the film’s premiere, adding, “so blessed to have this experience and opportunity.”