It’s been 941 days.

941 days since Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors played in an NBA basketball game.

941 days since he tore his ACL. 941 days it took to recover from both an ACL injury and an Achilles injury. (The Achilles injury happened while he was rehabbing from the ACL injury!)

941 days of missing the game you love. 941 days of sitting on the sidelines. 941 days of cheering for your teammates. 941 days without being able to contribute your skills to an actual game to help your teammates win. 941 days of watching others play and enjoy the game you’ve invested your life mastering.

941 days of persevering mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Then, today, Klay played.

I got emotional. I got teary-eyed. I was inspired.

The level of grit, character, and resolve required to work that hard for that long to return to the game of basketball reminds me of a principle I do not want to soon forget:

LOVE IS ONE HELLUVA’ MOTIVATION.