4:06 PM ET

You gotta give it up for the moms of the world, especially on Mother’s Day. Who else was there for you right at the beginning, right?

For many athletes, showing appreciation to their mothers is as important as anything else in their lives — take Kevin Durant’s “real MVP” speech to his mother, or DeAndre Hopkins giving his blind mother the ball after every touchdown, just as an example.

It’s a relationship that has persisted through years of sacrifice and love, and the end result has been rewarding for all involved. Plenty of athletes gave a shoutout to their mothers on Mother’s Day, and we’ve got some classic mom tributes, as well as tributes to athletes who are themselves mothers.