Kevin Durant was presented with his first MVP trophy at a jam-packed, festive reception in Oklahoma on Tuesday night. The 25-year-old Thunder superstar bared his soul in a long acceptance speech the likes of which is almost never seen in the cooler-than-thou sports culture, shedding tears as he revealed his insecurities and lavished praise on the teammates, friends and family who have supported him. If you don’t lose it sooner, you will probably get emotional at the end, when he addresses his mother.
Here are some of the stories behind the stories that highlighted Durant’s remarkable speech:
I come from a small county outside of Washington DC called PG County, and me, my mom, my brother, we moved so many different places growing up. And it felt like a box. It felt like there was no getting out. … I love basketball so much, I love playing it. I just never thought I could make it to college, make it to the NBA or stand up here today in front of you guys and be an NBA MVP. It’s just a surreal feeling, and I had so much help, so many people believe in me when I didn’t believe in myself. So many people doubted me and motivated me every single day to be who I am. I failed so many times and got back up. I been through the toughest times with my family, but I’m still standing. (1:33)
That’s Prince George’s County in the Maryland-side suburbs of Washington. Durant attended three high schools, finishing at Montrose Christian School, where he was named a McDonald’s All-America. A heavily recruited prep star, Durant spent one year at the University of Texas before he was drafted No. 2 overall to the NBA in 2007.
As a second-grader, I had a Pistons Grant Hill jersey, the first time I walked into a gym. And that was when I fell in love with the game. (3:15)
This is circa 1995, 1996. Hill, who retired in 2013, overlapped in the NBA with Durant for six seasons.
I can walk in and have a terrible day and I can see Hasheem smiling at me, at 7-3, with small pants on, and that will change my day. (4:07)
Durant shows his humorous side. Hasheem Thabeet, a native of Tanzania, is a little-used reserve on the Thunder. It is hard to find pants that fit right!
He’s 38 years old, he has nothing else to prove, and I say Fish, ‘You wanna come get some shots up with me?’ And first thing, he says yes. He always wants to learn, even though he’s done so much in this league, played with so many great players, he always wants to learn, and that motivated me to know there’s never a point where you can stop getting better. (4:39)
The late-night calls after tough games, you texting me, telling me I’m the MVP. (5:17)
Caron, even though you just got here a few months ago, we’ve grown so close over these last weeks. And I can remember when you first got here, you wrote a piece of paper in my locker — why am I crying so much? — that said ‘KD MVP.’ And that’s after we had lost two or three straight. I don’t really say much in those moments, but I’ll remember that. I go home and I think about that stuff. When you got people behind you, you can do whatever. (7:11)
Durant singled out every single teammate for a personalized tribute. These three stand out. The first is for Derek Fisher, a five-time title-winner with the Lakers who has said he will retire following the season — likely to go into coaching. The next snippet is about center Kendrick Perkins, whose reputation as one of the most irritating, fight-prone players in the NBA apparently belies his sweet, motivational relationship with Durant. The shout-out to Caron Butler, a journeyman who joined the Thunder in early March, caused Durant to break down yet again.
I know you guys think I forgot Russ. But I could speak all night about Russell. An emotional guy who would run through a wall for me. And I don’t take it for granted. … I love you, man. I love you. A lot of people put unfair criticism on you, as a player, and I’m the first to have your back, through it all. (13:08)
Durant awards pride of place to his running mate Russell Westbrook, a shoot-first point guard and combustible personality who also happens to be one of the very best players on the planet. The two alpha players always seem on the verge of friction when things go wrong for Oklahoma City, and have had to affirm their relationship through the years.
Scott Brooks, I never met anybody like you, so selfless, you don’t take the credit for nothing, even though you deserve all of it. I love you and your family for always taking me in, believing in me. (19:27)
It’s true: When the Thunder succeed, Durant (and Westbrook) typically receive the accolades.
And last, my mom. I don’t think you know what you did. You had my brother when you were 18 years old. Three years later, I came out. The odds were stacked against us, single parent with two boys by the time you were 21 years old. Everybody told us we weren’t supposed to be here. We moved from apartment to apartment by ourselves. One of the best memories I have is when we moved into our first apartment, no bed, no furniture and we just all sat in the living room and just hugged each other because we thought we made it.
When something good happens to you, I don’t know about you guys, but I tend to look back to what brought me here. And you wake me up in the middle night in the summertime, making me run up the hill, making me do push-ups, screaming at me from the sidelines at my games at 8 or 9 years old. We weren’t supposed to be here. You made us believe, you 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 went to sleep hungry, you sacrificed for us. You’re the real MVP. (23:35)
The camera cuts to Wanda Pratt sitting in the front row with tears streaming down her face as her son eloquently relates the hardships of their background. She gets a standing ovation by the end. It is well deserved.