Kevin Durant’s return to Oklahoma City was action-packed and filled with drama, despite the game never being that close. Russell Westbrook and Durant finally got into the yelling match we were all waiting for, and fans chanted “cupcake” at Durant.
Kevin Durant’s mom says Thunder fans shouted ‘vicious, hurtful’ things at her son
Emotions were at an all-time high in Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
But while the focus was on Kevin and the reaction he may or may not have deserved for leaving the Thunder, the impact of it all on his family was forgotten.
“The most vicious things you could say, they said about my son tonight. It’s hurtful,” Wanda Durant told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
Wanda became a public figure after we all wept at the sight of her choked-up son thanking her for the hardships she endured raising two children as a single parent, as he accepted his MVP award in 2014. Times have changed, and according to ESPN’s Chris Haynes, the Warriors had additional security for her as well.
“We poured our heart into this place,” Wanda told ESPN. “Not just him. Our family. This is basketball. This is not whether or not you’re going to make it into heaven.”
While this may have been Kevin’s first public appearance back to his old home, Wanda said she’s been back four or five times and has been treated much differently herself.
“Every time that I’ve been back, people seem like they are afraid to say something nice to me. People will whisper, ‘There’s his mom. Ooooooh!’“
Things will probably never be the same for the Durants in a town which once cherished them both.
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