Read the rest here:
S everal Black athletes are paying it forward by giving back to the communities that they grew up in. Just days after it was reported that NFL star Marshawn Lynch was combating gentrification in his hometown of Oakland, NBA player Kevin Durant has opened a new after-school center for youth in Prince George’s County, Maryland, ESPN reported. On Wednesday, Kevin Durant attended the grand opening of “The Durant Center” in Suitland, MD. Opened in partnership with College Track, The Durant Center is a state-of-the-art facility aimed at helping low-income and underserved students enroll and graduate from college. pic.twitter.com/YIRxzTNrGC — The Undefeated (@TheUndefeated) January 24, 2019 The facility—which is named after the Golden State Warriors player—will serve as a resource center that provides tools and assistance for youth to further their education, the news outlet writes. Through the center, students will be able to secure college scholarships and receive financial help and tutoring. The NBA player provided $10 million for the creation of College Track at The Durant Center. Durant unveiled the new center before a group of local children who will be involved in the program on Wednesday. It was a full-circle moment for him; the center is located just a few blocks away from where he grew up. “To have this as a kind of staple and my family’s name on it and it’s doing so much for kids, man. It’s one of the greatest accomplishments so far in my career,” he said in an interview with the Washington Post . “As a basketball player it’s easy for us to say, ‘Let’s create an AAU team or let’s do a camp.’ As you get older, you start to look for bigger ways to impact. I see my peers, and not just NBA players but athletes in general, but just trying to push the future forward, push the youth forward.” The opening of the center comes months after Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James opened the I Promise School for at-risk youth in Akron. SEE ALSO: Marshawn Lynch Is Pushing Back Against Gentrification In Oakland LeBron James To Open Public School For At-Risk Students [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3844528″ overlay=”true”]
