Instagram/Tony Durant Tony Durant with mother Wanda Durant.
Basketball superstar Kevin Durant has three siblings: Brothers Tony Durant and Rayvonne Pratt and younger sister, Briana Pratt. Whereas Tony is frequently seen at his brother’s side, very little is known publicly about the two younger siblings.
Tony Durant is three years older than Kevin, who is a middle sibling. The four siblings share the same parents – father Wayne Pratt and mother Wanda Durant – but Wayne Pratt was in and out of the family during his older sons’ childhoods, a book on Kevin Durant reports. There is very little known about the two younger siblings; however, the official site for Team USA basketball confirmed that Kevin Durant “has two brothers, Anthony and Rayvonne, and one sister, Briana. Brother Anthony played basketball at Butler C.C. and two seasons at Towson University (2007-08 – 2008-09).” Some sites give the sister’s name as Brianna Pratt.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Siblings Were Raised by Their Mother, Wanda Durant, a Postal Worker
Kevin Durant was born in Suitland, Maryland as “one of four children of Wanda and Wayne Pratt,” according to Biography.com. Brianna, his sister, was part of his life growing up, the site says.
“Durant grew up loving sports with his sister, Brianna, and two brothers, Anthony (also a basketball player) and Rayvonne. His grandmother, Barbara, was a strong influence, telling him that his height was a blessing, even though schoolmates teased him for always being the tallest in class,” reports Biography.com. Of all of the siblings, Tony Durant has been in the public eye the most, as he is active on social media, has given interviews about his brother, and played college basketball.
The Durant story is well-known, and Wanda Durant has not been shy about telling how she raised her children as a single mother.
She worked overnights at the post office. “There were many nights that I didn’t know how we were going to make it,” Wanda Durant told CBS News of those times.
Kevin Durant referenced his hard-scrabble upbringing and his mother’s sacrifices when he accepted the MVP award, saying, according to CBS, “When you didn’t eat, you made sure we ate. You went to sleep hungry. You sacrificed for us. You the real MVP.”
“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,” Wanda Durant told CBS.
2. The Father, Wayne Pratt, Left the Family Early On But Later Returned, a Book Says
The brothers’ father, Wayne Pratt, left their lives when he was 23. “I felt like I was immature, selfish, I was young. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” he told The Washington Post.
“Around Durant’s first birthday, Pratt deserted the family, leaving behind his wife, Wanda, and sons Kevin and Tony,” The Post reported. Wayne Pratt works as a Capitol police officer at the Library of Congress, according to The Post.
A book on Kevin Durant by John Bankston says that Wayne Pratt eventually returned to his family. Kevin was 13 at the time. Wayne and Wanda married, and that’s when Brianna and Rayvonne were born, according to the book. As a result, Wanda Durant has sometimes been known as Wanda Pratt.
“Been through it and you been there to pick me up time and time again preciate you dad funniest dude alive lol @bballpop,” Tony Durant wrote on a throwback photo with his dad.
3. Tony Durant, Who Played College Basketball, Is the Most Visible of the Durant/Pratt Siblings
Tony Durant said in an interview, which you can watch above, that “me and my brother fight. Don’t talk awhile. It happens like that sometimes.” He’s by far the most well known of the four siblings.
In an interview with TripleMcDouble, Tony described the brothers’ childhood, saying, “I grew up in Prince George’s County [Maryland]. Basketball is huge there. When I was a kid, my mom started taking my brother and I to the local rec center and that’s where we first developed a love for basketball.”
He told the site that he realized his brother was going to be a great player when he was 12 or 13. Kevin Durant mentioned Tony during his MVP acceptance speech, saying, “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’s other brother Rayvonne Pratt is not in the public eye much, whereas Tony Durant frequently attends his brother’s games. There is almost nothing known about Rayvonne or Briana, and Tony, Kevin, and their mother do not have pictures of the siblings on their Instagram pages.
According to TripleMcDouble, Tony Durant played college basketball at Towson University. “My career at Towson was really good. I definitely had my up’s and down’s early on, but I was young and was able to learn from those experiences. At the end of the day, I think I got exactly what I wanted out of my college career. I put the work in and the results spoke for themselves,” the site quoted him as saying.
In 2008, according to ESPN, Tony was “a junior college transfer in his first year on scholarship as a forward at Towson.” Kevin is taller and lighter than Tony, which might have helped him achieve greater success on the basketball court as Tony never made the leap to the NBA. Tony Durant is 6 foot 7 inches tall and weighs 245 pounds. You can see his college stats here.
4. Kevin Durant Bought His Brother a Dodge Charger & the Attention on Kevin Was Hard on Tony
ESPN describes one story from the brothers’ childhood, in which Kevin Durant tossed a boot and broke a glass light switch. Tony, who was working at McDonald’s, gave his brother the money to fix it. Years later, Kevin repaid the debt: With a new car.
“…Kevin finally paid his big brother back — with a shiny, black 2007 Dodge Charger,” the site reported. Wanda Durant, the brothers’ mother, told ESPN that Tony is not jealous of Kevin’s success, but it has been hard on him at times. “Was it hard for him? I think at times it was hard for him. I don’t think he was jealous of Kevin or envious, it was just hard hearing everybody speak about Kevin all the time and really not speak about him,” she said, according to ESPN.
Tony wrote with one of his Instagram photos, “God sent me here to be me and me only…”
5. The Siblings’ Mother Is a Motivational Speaker
Kevin and Tony Durant are clearly close to their mother, and Kevin Durant has cited her as a powerful influence in his life. In 2014, he thanked his mom when he accepted the MVP award. Durant’s mother has a website titled, Mama Durant.com.
On it, she describes herself as “a strong leader, advocate, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Her passion is to inspire underserved children, single mothers and communities to move beyond their immediate circumstances and to aim for higher heights in life.” She added, “Mama Durant is the mother of two sons: businessman, Anthony (Tony) Durant; and National Basketball Association (NBA) Champion and 2017 Finals MVP player, Kevin Durant.”
She told life story in the movie “The Real MVP: The Wanda Durant Story,” which her website says was “produced by musical artist, television producer and actress Queen Latifah (Dana Owens)” and is now available on DVD.
According to CNBC, she “ravels the country as an motivational speaker and philanthropist” and has a particular interest in financial literacy because she struggled with money issues for years. When her son started making big bucks in the NBA, Wanda Durant advised him, “I wanted him to realize you have worked hard,” she says, “and it is OK for you to enjoy yourself because of your hard work. But it is also imperative that you prepare for your future.”