Patrick Mahomes And Lionel Messi Double Winners At ESPY Awards
Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Argentina and soon-to-be Inter Miami soccer star Lionel Messi took multiple trophies Wednesday at the 2023 ESPY Awards.
Mahomes, who won the NFL MVP for a second time after leading the Chiefs past the Philadelphia Eagles in this year’s Super Bowl, was named Best Athlete, Men’s Sports, and Best NFL Player in the ceremony tonight in Los Angeles. His Chiefs won the ESPY for Best Team.
Messi won for Best Soccer Player and Best Championship Performance, the latter for leading Argentina to his first World Cup championship in December. Messi, widely considered one of the best players of all time, touched down in the U.S. earlier in the week in advance of his introduction Sunday as the newest member of Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami. He is scheduled to make his debut with the team July 21.
Other ESPY winners tonight in the ceremony at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood included U.S. ski champion Mikaela Shiffrin, who was named Best Athlete, Women’s Sports; L.A. Lakers star LeBron James, honored for Best Record-Breaking Performance for surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time NBA scoring record; and Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani, named Best MLB Player.
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Honorary awards went to Chicago White Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks (the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance) and the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team (the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage). The Buffalo Bills training staff, who saved the life of the Bills’ Damar Hamlin after he suffered a heart attack during a game, received the Pat Tillman Award for Service.
Here’s the complete list of tonight’s winners:
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
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
Dr. Richard Lapchick
Source: Deadline
