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On Wednesday, the biggest stars in sports and entertainment gathered at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre to celebrate the year’s best moments in sports.
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The 2023 ESPYS Presented by Capital One featured an all-star red carpet that was walked by the likes of standout LSU ballers Flau’jae Johnson and Angel Reese.
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The girls got gussied up and gorgeous for the big night and after posing for pics, Reese won Best Breakthrough Athlete.
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The basketball players were joined by Coco Jones…
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hurdler Lolo Jones…
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and H.E.R.
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H.E.R. attended the ESPYs in a leather Maria Lucia Hohan dress…
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before hitting the stage to perform her hit song “The Journey.”
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The performance was overlaid by moments of praise for Jimmy Valvano and his work to fight cancer and fund research.
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Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty
See more from the 2023 ESPYS after the flip.
Lil Wayne opened the 2023 ESPYs with a performance of “A Milli”…
and Tiffany Haddish presented the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team with the Arthur Ashe Award of Courage in recognition of their hard-fought, years-long battle for equal pay.
The comedienne recognized the group for fighting for the “simplest, most essential thing that they deserve” while wearing an Alexandre Vauthier dress.
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Also spotted at the ESPYS was Damar Hamlin.
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The Buffalo Bills safety had an emotional moment while presenting the Pat Tillman Award for Service to the Bills training staff who jumped into action to save his life during a game, exemplifying their dedication and commitment to the team.
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Head Athletic Trainer Nate Breske accepted the award on behalf of the group, stating;
“We’re not used to being in the spotlight – we were just doing our job. But the idea of service is definitely something that is ingrained in our profession and that we take great pride in.”
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Later in the evening, Lil Rey Howery and Mike Tyson presented Best Team to the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
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Source: Gilbert Flores / Getty
When accepting the award, tight end Travis Kelce pushed Patrick Mahomes out of the way of the mic, stating, “You already took one mic away from me, you’re not going to take another!” He then closed the show with his iconic chant “You gotta fight for your right to party!”
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Mahomes also won Best NFL Player and brought his wife Brittany Mahomes as his date.
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Other ESPY standout moments include four-time NBA Champion LeBron James being recognized with Best Record-Breaking Performance for surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the NBA career scoring record.
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In a special moment, his wife Savannah James, along with their children Bronny, Bryce, and Zhuri made a surprise appearance to present the award and King James confirmed that he won’t be retiring.
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James later returned to the stage alongside fellow NBA legends Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul to celebrate their friend and teammate Carmelo Anthony.
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The beautiful Black brotherhood moment included Wade encouraging Anthony, upon retirement, to “Stay connected, stay vigilant, but most importantly, stay Melo.”
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Other ESPYs attendees include Bianca Belair…
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and Kyrie Irving and his fianceé Marlene Wilkerson.
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The ESPYS raises awareness and funds for Foundation for Cancer Research, the charity founded by ESPN and the late basketball coach Jim Valvano at the first ESPYS back in 1993.
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A press release reports that ESPN and the V Foundation have vowed to continue to raise awareness and funds for cancer research until there is victory over cancer.
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See the complete list of the 2023 ESPY winners on the flip.
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Best Athlete, Men’s Sports: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Best Athlete, Women’s Sports: Mikaela Shiffrin, Ski
Best Breakthrough Athlete: Angel Reese, LSU Women’s Basketball
Best Record-Breaking Performance: LeBron James surpasses Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for NBA career scoring record
Best Championship Performance: Lionel Messi, Argentina – World Cup Final
Best Comeback Athlete: Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
Best Play: Justin Jefferson with the Catch of the Century
Best Team: Kansas City Chiefs
Best College Athlete, Men’s Sports: Caleb Williams, USC Football
Best College Athlete, Women’s Sports: Caitlin Clark, Iowa Women’s Basketball
Best Athlete with a Disability: Zach Miller, Snowboarding
Best NFL Player: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Best MLB Player: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
Best NHL Player: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Best NBA Player: Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
Best WNBA Player: A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Best Driver: Max Verstappen, F1
Best UFC Fighter: Jon Jones
Best Boxer: Claressa Shields
Best Soccer Player: Lionel Messi, Argentina/PSG
Best Golfer: Scottie Scheffler
Best Tennis Player: Novak Djokovic
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SPECIAL AWARDS
Jimmy V Award for Perseverance: Liam Hendriks
Arthur Ashe Award for Courage: U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team
Pat Tillman Award for Service: Buffalo Bills Training Staff
SPORTS HUMANITARIAN AWARDS
Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award: Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee Bucks) and Lauren Holiday (retired U.S. Women’s National Team)
Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award: Jordan Adeyemi, Ashley Badis, Rishan Patel
Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year: San Antonio Spurs
Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award Honorees: Dr. Richard Lapchick
