Oklahoma City Thunder Forward Kevin Durant is a native of Seat Pleasant, Md. (AFRO File Photo)
Oklahoma City Thunder mega-basketball star Kevin Durant is marketing a shoe that has some residents of Prince George’s County, Maryland uneasy because of its name. Durant’s sneakers, “KD8 ‘P.G. County’” is manufactured by Niké and was released for sale nationwide last week for $180. Despite putting his home county on the name of the shoe, some residents aren’t pleased that he referred to Prince George’s County as P.G.
“To some people who don’t live in Prince George’s County or don’t think much of us, P.G. could stand for ‘Pig City’,” Emma Andrews, a longtime resident education activist who lives in Peppermill, said. “The use of P.G. really didn’t come into use until Black people started moving here in the 1970s and it was a way to demean the county. You don’t hear people refer to Montgomery County as M.C., Charles County as C.C. or Baltimore County as B.C.”
Durant was the first pick of the 2007 NBA draft from the University of Texas at Austin. Originally with the Seattle SuperSonics, he followed that franchise when it relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008.
Durant, a small forward with the Thunder, has won such awards as the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, four NBA scoring titles, the NBA Rookie of the Year and a 2012 Olympic Gold Medal, as a member of the American team. He has also been selected to five All-NBA teams and six All-Star teams.
Durant’s net worth is $80 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.com, a website that tracks the wealth of selected individuals.
He was born in the District but lived much of his childhood in Prince George’s County. He identifies himself with Seat Pleasant, a small, predominantly Black city located in central Prince George’s that borders Eastern Avenue., N.E.
In 2010, Durant donated $25,000 to the Seat Pleasant Activity Center, which in turn created “Durant’s Den,” a huge room in the complex where young people can relax, play video games, study and work on computers. Durant, during his childhood, spent countless hours at the activity center and he still plays basketball and exercises there when he is in town.
One of Durant’s mentors, Taras Brown, has worked at the activity center for years and thinks that the whole controversy about Prince George’s being identified as P.G. on Durant’s sneakers is foolish. “We live in the DMV and what about D.C.?” Brown asked rhetorically. “Why should P.G. be different? Kevin loves this county and he wouldn’t do anything to put it down.”
Thomas Penny, the general manager of the Courtyard by Marriott Convention Center in downtown Washington, grew up in Seat Pleasant and said that Durant should be lauded for naming his shoe after the county. “The county should allow one of its own to pay homage to it and refer to it as he sees fit,” Penny said.
Andrews, who moved into the county in 1965, when it was predominantly White and a largely rural jurisdiction, understands that there are times when acronyms such as P.G. are appropriate. “When I go on the county’s website, I see PGCPS, that stands for Prince George’s County Public Schools and that make sense to me,” she said. “I just want people to know that P.G. shouldn’t be used loosely today because its usage is a put down of the county and Black people who live here.”
The late Wayne Curry, the first Black elected as county executive and served from 1994-2002, actively promoted Prince George’s County instead of P.G.
Brown said that he has talked to Durant since the controversy and said his former protégé is baffled by it.
Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III commented recently on the sneaker issue, saying that “we are very excited about the success of one of Prince George’s County’s native sons, Mr. Kevin Durant.”
“He is a great basketball player and an incredible role model who gives back to the people and children of this county,” Baker said. “We are very proud and excited that he decided to name his shoe after the place he grew up in and clearly loves. His tribute to Prince George’s County reflects the pride we all have in our county as a great place to live.”
Belinda Queen-Howard is a political and civic activist in the county and remembers the racially-charged busing controversies that took place in the county in the 1970s. She said she corrects people when they refer to Prince George’s as P.G. but isn’t fanatical about it.
“I think people are taking things overboard,” Queen-Howard said. “When Kevin was growing up everyone in his age group and generation used P.G. People shouldn’t be mad about that, it is history. Kevin Durant should be praised for creating a shoe that reflects his history and his roots.”