‘Big heart, big personality’: Kevin Durant will pay for the first year of college for 4 students

Kevin Durant has a lot on his plate right now. The free agent is currently in the NBA finals with the Golden State Warriors, where he is averaging over 27 points per game (he scored 43 points on Wednesday). He also co-runs a private equity firm with stakes in about 30 internet businesses, including Postmates and Acorns. He’s also one of the world’s most charitable athletes.

Durant with Alysia Demery, Dez Fraiser, Magali Pineda and  Joselin Quinteros

Durant has always been a divisive figure, most recently for his decision to leave Oklahoma City and sign a $53 million contract with the Golden State Warriors, but the good he’s done in every city he’s been a part of cannot be questioned. The 2014 MVP has pledged to donate more than $13 million to community projects this year alone.

Durant is currently assisting four of his mentees from the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula in Redwood City, California, in attending college.

Kevin Durant visits a local Boys & Girls Club

Durant originally joined the local Boys & Girls Club in June of 2017. He had built a basketball court for the youngsters by September, and by February of this year, he had surprised four pupils with an offer to pay for their first year of college.

Kevin Durant and Sundar Pichai

Durant made the announcement while serving as a judge for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula’s annual Youth of the Year competition, alongside his business partner Rich Kleiman, journalist Esther Wojcicki, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative President of Education Jim Shelton, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. That night, the gathering raised $2.5 million.

Durant was so taken with the students — Alysia Demery, Desmond Fraiser, Magali Pineda, and Joselin Quinteros — that he volunteered to pay for their entire first year of college.

“I grew up in a similar situation,” stated Durant to ESPN. “They are four kids that have been through so much already in their short lives and to be able to get up the next day and keep pushing, keep trucking, I was very proud just to get to meet them.”

The basketball player credits his success to the Boys & Girls Club in his birthplace of Washington, D.C.

“It connected with me so much because just living in unstable households and moving around to so many different places, not having someone I could lean on and stuff, and then going to the rec center and seeing mentors that helped me and supported me — that was huge,” he said.

The basketball player credits his success to the Boys & Girls Club in his birthplace of Washington, D.C.

“It connected with me so much because just living in unstable households and moving around to so many different places, not having someone I could lean on and stuff, and then going to the rec center and seeing mentors that helped me and supported me — that was huge,” he said.