The Hollywood Reporter
The 2023 ESPYS looked a little different this year, going without a host for the first time in its 31-year history amid the Hollywood writers strike. The sports celebrations carried on, though, with athletes across various different games uniting at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was the night’s big winner, taking home both best athlete, men’s sports, and best NFL player, with the Chiefs also winning for best team. Mikaela Shiffrin (best athlete, women’s sports), Angel Reese (best breakthrough athlete), LeBron James (best record-breaking performance) and Lionel Messi (best championship performance) were also among the top honorees.
Presenters included Damar Hamlin, Dwayne Wade, Travis Kelce, Sue Bird, Mike Tyson and Livvy Dunne, with performances by Lil Wayne and H.E.R. — who performed a tribute to the 30th anniversary of the V Foundation and Jim Valvano’s iconic ESPYS speech in 1993. Peyton and Eli Manning also took part in a comedy sketch.
On top of the competitive honors, special awards were also presented, with the U.S. women’s national soccer team given the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage; Chicago White Sox pitcher and cancer survivor Liam Hendriks honored with the Jimmy V. Award for Perseverance; and the Buffalo Bills training staff awarded with the Pat Tillman Award for Service, presented by MassMutual.
Additionally, Sports Humanitarian Awards honorees were recognized during this year’s show, including the recipients of the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award (Jrue Holiday of the Milwaukee Bucks and Lauren Holiday, a retired member of the U.S. Women’s National Team), the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award (Jordan Adeyemi, Ashley Badis and Rishan Patel), the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award (Dr. Richard Lapchick) and the Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year Award (San Antonio Spurs).
See the full list of 2023 ESPYS winners below:
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
Source: Hollywood Reporter
