BOWIE, Md. — Bowie State University is now home to a newly renovated basketball arena thanks to the generosity of one of Prince George's County's biggest stars.
Last year, Kevin Durant and the Durant Family Foundation committed $500,000 in donations to Bowie State University to renovate the basketball arena. Wanda Durant, Kevin's mother, helped cut the ribbon on the new court Thursday.
Wanda Durant called it a special day for her family.
"When I walked into the gym I wasn't expecting this," the basketball star's mother said. "It was so bright, revived, refreshed. It brought back memories of when my sons played here in the early years."
The donation went toward renovating the court, expanding seating capacity and upgrading the bleachers inside the Leonidas S. James Physical Education Complex at Bowie State. It also helped upgrade the broadcasting capabilities from the press box.
"To see my son's name and initials on the court, it's overwhelming a bit," Wanda said.
BSU President Aminta Breaux says the university does not get funding from the state for athletics, so the donation from the Durant Family Foundation made a huge impact.
"It looks much more conducive to the type of environment that we need for our student athletes to compete on and to win," Breaux said. "But it's also about the overall student experience, and making sure that the students have the quality of facilities that they need... The Durant Foundation has stepped up in a unique and wonderful way to make this possible."
The Durant Family Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 2013 by Kevin Durant. The mission of the foundation is to enrich the lives of at-risk youth from low-income backgrounds through education, athletic and social programs, the foundation said in a statement.
In addition to arena upgrades, the donation went toward establishing a scholarship for Durant Center College Track students who attend Bowie State University.
Bowie State is the oldest Historically Black University in the state of Maryland. The campus is not far from Durant's hometown of Seat Pleasant.