It was an MVP speech for the ages ... and Hollywood.
Soon after Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant called his mother, Wanda Durant, "the real MVP" during his moving acceptance speech in 2014, executives from Lifetime pitched her about making a movie based on her life.
Produced by actress and musician Queen Latifah, the movie will air during Mother's Day weekend, debuting Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
"It's still just unreal to me," Wanda Durant said of the movie. "I never thought this gift would be possible for me. I never considered it, I didn't know it was available. I'm grateful and I'm humbled because this story is such a common story. I'm blessed and I pray that I do honor to all the single moms and mothers in general, just having that chance to tell the story of motherhood, and I'm just grateful for that opportunity."
Durant chatted with ESPN about the movie, raising her famous son, his upcoming free agency and his relationship with Russell Westbrook:
ESPN: When Kevin said in his MVP speech, "You made us tough," that's not just a line; you were actually out there coaching him. What kinds of things did you do?
Wanda Durant: He would have workouts with his coach. I would come in after work and the coach would require him to do maybe 25 sprints, 25 layups and I would just come in with ease and say, "No, I think you need to do 75." Now, I'm thinking about it and I'm like, "Wow." I came in like he hadn't done anything else, like he just started the workout and I said it like it was no problem. But sometimes I'm like, "Wow, I may have been a little bit cruel." But it was the part of the foundation of his work ethic.
ESPN: Kevin has said that he thought about quitting basketball a few times growing up. Why?
Wanda Durant: I think it was because he was pushing so hard. There was a lot that was asked of him. We talked about it and I said, "OK, you can quit, but you have to finish out the season. And after that, you can quit, but you're going to have to do something else." And so I suggested that he take piano lessons.
That was a requirement. [My sons] had to do something outside of the home [or] school. There had to be an activity. If it wasn't going to be basketball, it had to be something. So, once he found out it was piano, he decided he was going to stick with basketball.
ESPN: You worked two jobs when Kevin and [Durant's other son] Tony were growing up, one of which included overnight shifts at the post office. Kevin, at one point, said to you, "Hey, how long you going keep working like this?"
Wanda Durant: Yes. I remember one night, when I first started working that shift, he said, "Mom, when are you gonna quit this job?" I said, "Baby, I can't quit. It's what I have to do to make sure we're OK." And then shortly thereafter, I was able to move to the day shift.
At that point, he may have been about 10 or 11. It was tough on him, too, because they really had to accept sacrifices themselves. It was difficult not being home at night and [him] staying with my mom and staying with my aunt. So, we just had to make it work. We just had to make it work.
ESPN: There's a part of the movie where Kevin and Tony say, "Hey, we're gonna buy you a house back home, we got this now." And it's kind of like they fire you as a manager. In what ways have you seen Kevin grow since that moment?
Wanda Durant: I've seen him become more confident in himself. I'm really proud of them both because I looked at that, at first I took it personally. It was difficult for me because my focus was so much on them and I didn't have a focus on myself. I'm glad that they were both mature enough to see that they were to come to me because I was such a strong personality.
I was proud of them. So I decided to step away and stop looking at myself and focusing on them.
I've always told them, if you have the courage to say, "No" to me, say, "No, Mom," then you can say it to anybody. So I'm really proud and I see how much they both have grown.
ESPN: I had a conversation with Kevin after he won his MVP award where he said he had started to realize that he had a much larger platform to say things to the world that were important to him.
Wanda Durant: He's matured. When he entered the league, he was really, really young. You could see that in the process of going through the league that he's grown into a young man with his own voice, his own energy, and I'm proud of that. That's a natural progression from boy to manhood, and I'm just grateful that my son is on top with that.
As a mom, I think I will always know what's up with him and what decisions he must make, but I'm glad that he had the courage in himself and courage in himself that he can do that on his own.
He's not perfect, of course, and he doesn't know everything. There are times when he will call and we'll just kind of talk things through. I'm just grateful that he's matured. He's a mature man now, and I'm grateful for that.
ESPN: Besides what he said about you in his MVP speech, he really singled out Russell Westbrook. From your vantage point, what is their relationship like?
Wanda Durant: They have different personalities. They bounce off of one another. If one or the other is strong and the other is weak, they kind of play off one another and encourage one another. On and off the court, too. I've seen their relationship grow. I like the relationship that they have together.
ESPN: Kevin has a big decision with free agency this summer. How much has he leaned on you this year and how much do you expect that to increase when we get to the summer?
Wanda Durant: Whenever I make a major decision in my life, I still call my mom and the people who I value their opinions, and he'll do the same thing. He'll just talk with me, but ultimately the decision is his. I respect him for that.
ESPN: Do you think he's made a decision yet? Or will he wait until the summer?
Wanda Durant: Right now he is just focusing on the playoffs. That's not just something to say, that's just how it is. He wants to give the team all that he has, and when the time comes, he'll focus on that and make his decision and move forward.
ESPN: In the preseason he said he was really going to try to shut all the free-agency talk out. He was determined not to make it a circus this year. Do you think he has succeeded?
Wanda Durant: [Yes.] The reason why I can say that so boldly is because when he was a kid, I wouldn't allow him to think about the NBA even though that was an aspiration of his at age 11 or age 14. You know I try to keep him focused, along with his coach, [on] the task at hand. Getting better for the next level, and right now, that next place is the playoffs. He's focusing. He's been doing that all his life.