Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry was awarded the 2014-2015 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player award on Monday, and his acceptance speech was full of thankfulness to God.
He started by saying: "First and foremost I have to thank my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ for blessing me with the talents to play this game, with the family to support me, day in, day out. I'm his humble servant right now and I can't say enough how important my faith is to who I am and how I play the game."
It is the first time the 27-year-old point guard has won the award. He set a record for the number of three-pointers scored in a season, with a total of 286 (eclipsing his own record of 272 the previous year).
It was an emotional speech – particularly as he thanked his wife and his father, who played in the NBA for 16 years.
The four things he said that had helped him achieve his present success were faith, passion, drive and will.
He said he wanted to explain how his faith influences the way he plays – referring to the hand signal he uses to celebrate on the court.
"I pound my chest and point to the sky, it symbolises that I have a heart for God, something that my mom and I came up with in college. I do it every time I step on the court as a reminder of who I'm playing for. People should know who I represent and why I am who I am, and that's because of my Lord and saviour."
Speaking of the obstacles he has had to overcome, he said: "Everything happens for a reason, and everything has a story, and if you take time to realise what your dream is and what you really want in life... whether it's sports, whether it's in other fields, you have to realise that there's always work to do."
He credited his teammates, who he thanked in turn, with challenging him every day and driving him forward and making him a better player.
His advice for others was to "be the best version of yourself in anything that you do. You don't have to live anybody else's story... Doesn't matter where you come from, what you have or don't have... All you need to have is faith in God, and undying passion for what you do, what you choose to do in this life, and a relentless drive and the will to do whatever it takes to be successful at whatever you put your mind to."
He finished by saying: "Make sure you live in the moment and work your butt off... I hope I inspire people all around the world to just be themselves, be humble, and be grateful for all the blessings in your life."
In February Curry launched a new signature shoe with Under Amour which features a reference to his favourite Bible verse – Philippians 4:13: " I can do all this through him who gives me strength."
