Yesterday, Kevin Durant won the NBA MVP award. He gave a very emotional acceptance speech, that displayed Kevin’s greatness and at the same time, humility.

He said: “Basketball is a platform in order for me to inspire people.”

Stop and think about that for a moment. No matter what you do, your actions affect other people. Achieving excellence through hard work inspires others to believe their dreams can come true, too.

But to be able to inspire, one must be inspired.

Kevin Durant was inspired by his teammates who were always supporting him and believing in him even when he himself didn’t.

But his biggest inspiration was his mother. Despite being very poor she would always make sure that her sons have food to eat, which sometimes meant that she would go to bed hungry.

"You are the real MVP" - he told her. While he was saying those words, his mom couldn’t stop herself from crying.

Not everybody gets a fancy reward for the things they do. But some actions you take, things you stand for and sacrifices you make shine brighter than any trophy or gold medal ever could.

And he knows that. I applaud you, Kevin Durant.