Kevin Durant praises his mother Wanda's proactive role in nurturing his passion

Phoenix Suns superstar forward Kevin Durant has long commended his mother, Wanda Durant, for her profound impact on his basketball career. However, according to the 14-time All-Star, she is also responsible for kickstarting his passion for playing video games.

In a clip from the "Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams" uploaded to X/Twitter on Wednesday, Durant answered a few Christmas-themed questions. When asked about the "best Christmas present (he's) ever gotten," the 2014 MVP didn't hesitate to recount his mother buying him his first video game console.

"A Sega Genesis," Durant said.

According to Durant, the gift not only cured his childhood boredom but also marked the start of his longstanding gaming hobby.

"It was so generous of my mom to buy that at that age," Durant said. "I was so bored in the house just watching TV reruns, and then she bought me a game. I was locked in, man. It just opened me up to the gaming world, and I've been hooked ever since. So, shoutout to my mom, she was just being proactive."

Durant added that he initially played "Sonic" and "Mortal Kombat," referring to the games as "classics."

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Kevin Durant has been a gaming enthusiast ever since receiving his first gaming console from his mother

Since receiving his Sega Genesis from his mother, Kevin Durant has developed into a self-professed gaming fanatic.

Over the years, Durant has spoken about his fandom of various popular video game franchises, including Call of Duty, NBA 2K and Madden NFL. The two-time NBA champion even has his own playable character and operator bundle in COD: Modern Warfare II and Warzone 2.0.

During a 2010 ESPN interview, Durant quipped that gaming occupied all his pastime, which used to concern his mother. However, he added that she has since come around on his hobby amid his successful NBA career.

"All I do is play video games. I play all the time," Durant said. "My mom used to tell me I play a little too much, but now ... she's out there buying my games."

Durant's hobby seemingly hasn't hindered his on-court production, as he is still playing at an All-NBA-caliber level in Year 17.

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