When all fails, a mother will always be your biggest support system.
Wanda Durant, the mother of Golden Star Warriors player Kevin Durant, spoke out against her son's critics following his latest injury during the NBA Finals. Through five games, the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors are turning in A+ NBA Finals filled with drama and excitement that have been absent during the last two finals series. Kevin Durant made an unexpected return to the series during game five on after suffering a strained calf muscle in the NBA Western Conference Semifinals. Unfortunately, his return was cut short when he suffered an injury early in the second quarter.
Initial reports from ESPN's Ramon Shelburne suggest the reigning NBA Finals MVP injured his Achilles tendon. If this is the case, he will be out for the remainder of the NBA Finals and possibly the majority of next season. Not to mention, this injury could have an impact on Durant's impending free agency later this summer.
durant? even if his leg fell off at center court. https://t.co/DsAb0QHim1
— bomani (@bomani_jones) June 11, 2019
Despite the seriousness of his injury, some of Durant's harshest critics questioned his heart. Some fans in Toronto went as far as to cheer at the sight of his injury. Little did his critics know, his mother defended her son in the manner that so many proud Black mothers do.
Wanda Durant posted a tweet to shut down the haters.
Kevin Durant’s Mom Wanda has comments for naysayers on her son pic.twitter.com/OREQ3pZomK
— NICK HAMILTON (@NickHamiltonLA) June 11, 2019
"For ALL of you who question my son as a Man, question his Heart, question his Integrity and question his LOVE for the game of basketball, you DON’T know him," she wrote on Twitter. "He has a heart of a true Warrior! This too shall pass. God Bless you ALL.
For ALL of you who question my son as a Man, question his Heart, question his Integrity and question his LOVE for the game of basketball, you DON’T know him. He has a heart of a true Warrior! This too shall pass. God Bless you ALL. pic.twitter.com/y0qcQ5Boga
— Wanda Durant (@MamaDurant) June 11, 2019
Twitter users and basketball players showed Mama Durant major support in wake of the devastating injury.
People forget that athletes are human….PERIOD!!! And we as parents still have to cover & protect our children…no matter how old they are. Blessings to your family @MamaDurant and prayers for @KDTrey5
https://t.co/z6oo0bKGbQ— Ericka Harper (@LadyEDH) June 11, 2019
“In this league, we’re all brothers. At the end of the day, we’re all brothers. … You never wanna see a competitor like him go down.”
—Kyle Lowry on seeing Kevin Durant go down with his injury pic.twitter.com/h9Zma83Tsh
— ESPN (@espn) June 11, 2019
Proud of all the players on @Raptors & @warriors banding together to support #KevinDurant No one wants to see anyone get injured we are all humans first. @KDTrey5 showed tonight what it is to have heart & be a true team player. We are praying for a quick recovery @NBA
#NBAFinals
pic.twitter.com/4uLFK2SI86— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) June 11, 2019
Durant is expected to travel to New York City to be further evaluated by doctors, according to CBS Sports. Warriors President of Basketball Operations Bob Myers gave media an update on Durant's status last night stating the player will have an MRI today.
"I don't know the extent of it. He'll have an MRI tomorrow. … I don't believe there's anybody to blame. But I understand this world. And if you have to, you can blame me. I run our basketball operations department."
Despite the devastating loss, the Golden State Warriors went on to win game five by a single point. As a result, the defending NBA Champions will have the opportunity to even the series back in Oakland.