Kevin Durant Gives Emotional MVP Acceptance Speech

Newly-minted NBA MVP Kevin Durant gave a tear-filled acceptance speech on Tuesday. The Oklahoma City Thunder star thanked his fans, teammates and his mom in a 25-minute speech that left the audience reaching for their tissues.

He told personal stories about his relationships with each of his teammates, and his coach, thanking them all by name.

But the real tear-jerking moments came when Durant thanked his mother. By 21, Wanda Pratt was the single mother of two sons. Durant recalled when his mom used to wake him up in the middle of the night to work out and improve his game and the moments when she went to bed hungry but made sure her children were fed.

“You sacrificed for us. You’re the real MVP,” he told her in the speech.