Courtesy: ESPN
Another year, another big night for the ESPYS. LeBron James and his team mates with the Miami heat were some of the big winners at ESPN’s annual sports awards show. Also on the list of the year’s big winners were Serena Williams and Michael Phelps. James led the pack with three ESPY awards. And his team mates took home the award in the “Best Team” category for the second consecutive year. James’ awards were in the categories of: “Best Championship Performance”, “Best NBA Player”, and “Best Male Athlete.” Just as his team mates won their award for the second consecutive year, so did James take home the same awards personally for the second consecutive year, too. Last night’s win brings James’ ESPY total to nine awards over the course of his career.
Serena Williams took home two awards on the night. She won in the categories of “Best Female Athlete” and “Best Best Female Tennis Player.”
Game Six of the NBA Championship finals won the award in the “Best Game” category. It was in that game that Ray Allen forced the game into overtime with a game-tying three-pointer with 5.2 seconds left in the game. The Heat went on to win the game and the 2013 NBA Championship.
San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick might not have won the big game this year. But he did win at the ESPYs. He took home the award in the “Best Breakout Athlete.” Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby won in the category of “Best NHL Player.” The award comes on the heels of a season that saw Crosby score fifteen goals and forty-one assists over the course of the regular season. And from the world of Major League Baseball, Detroit Tigers player and triple crown winner Miguel Cabrera brought home the award for “Best MLB Player.” Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps won the award for “Best Record-Breaking Performance.” He won the award for his record setting the all-time record for most Olympic Medals at a total of twenty-two medals. He also won this award in 2009.
In one of the night’s more emotional moments, Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts took home the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. Roberts, who also played a direct hand in the new ESPN/espnW film series, Nine for IX, was one of ESPN’s first female sports anchors in the 1990s. Roberts has faced both cancer and MDS yet never wavered in her fight against either life-threatening illness. The award was presented to Roberts by LeBron James.
Another of the night’s more emotional moments came in the presentation of the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance. The award was given to the father and son team of Dick and Rick Hoyt. The pair has competed together in over one thousand endurance events including thirty-one Boston Marathons. The younger of the duo, Rick Hoyt, is 51-years old. He was born with cerebral palsy. The condition left him unable to use his hands and legs. His father, 73-year old Dick Hoyt, pushes his son in a custom-made running chair during races including 5Ks, 10Ks, marathons and triathlons. The award was given to the duo by actor Ben Affleck.
Among some of the nights other notable winners were: Rick Pitino (Best Coach/Manager), Candace Parker (Best WNBA Player), Floyd Mayweather (Best Fighter), Missy Franklin (Best Female Olympian), Usain Bolt (Best International Athlete) and Thierry Henry (Best MLS Player). A full list of the night’s winners is available below.
SPECIAL AWARDS
ARTHUR ASHE COURAGE AWARD: Robin Roberts
JIMMY V AWARD FOR PERSEVERANCE: Dick and Rick Hoyt
BEST IN SPORT
BEST FEMALE ATHLETE: Serena Williams
BEST MALE ATHLETE: LeBron James
BEST FEMALE OLYMPIAN: Missy Franklin
BEST MALE OLYMPIAN: Michael Phelps
BEST MOMENT: Jack Hoffman TD at Nebraska spring game
BEST TEAM: Miami Heat
BEST COMEBACK: Adrian Peterson
BEST COACH/MANAGER: Rick Pitino
BEST GAME: Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs, Game 6 NBA Finals
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE: LeBron James, NBA Finals
BEST PLAY:
BEST UPSET: 15-Seed Florida Gulf Coast over 2-Seed Georgetown
BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE: Colin Kaepernick
BEST RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE: Michael Phelps 22 Olympic medals
BEST MALE COLLEGE ATHLETE: Johnny Manziel
BEST FEMALE COLLEGE ATHLETE: Brittney Griner
BEST MALE ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY: Jeremy Campbell
BEST FEMALE ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY: Jessica Long
INDIVIDUAL SPORTS
BEST MLB PLAYER: Miguel Cabrera
BEST NBA PLAYER: LeBron James
BEST WNBA PLAYER: Candace Parker
BEST NFL PLAYER: Adrian Peterson
BEST NHL PLAYER: Sidney Crosby
BEST MLS PLAYER: Thierry Henry
BEST MALE ACTION SPORT ATHLETE: Nyjah Huston
BEST FEMALE ACTION SPORT ATHLETE: Stephanie Gilmore
BEST BOWLER: Pete Weber
BEST DRIVER: Ryan Hunter-Reay
BEST FIGHTER: Floyd Mayweather
BEST MALE GOLFER: Tiger Woods
BEST FEMALE GOLFER: Stacey Lewis
BEST INTERNATIONAL ATHLETE: Usain Bolt
BEST JOCKEY: Joel Rosario
BEST MALE TENNIS PLAYER: Novak Djokovic
BEST FEMALE TENNIS PLAYER: Serena Williams
SPONSORED AWARD
CAPITAL ONE CUP: North Carolina Women’s Athletics and UCLA Men’s Athletics
To find out more about the night’s events, fans can go online to the official ESPN website, http://www.espn.com or its official Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/ESPN and “Like” it.
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