NEW YORK CITY, NY – The worlds of sports and entertainment came together on Saturday night as the 2021 ESPY’s honored and recognized this year’s top athletes.
Broadcast from The Rooftop on Pier 17 in New York and hosted by Anthony Mackie, the show was packed with tons of comedic and inspiring moments, and featured appearances from a number of athletes and celebrities including DaBaby, Tampa Bay Bucs tight end Rob Gronkowski, Taye Diggs (All American), Kane Brown, Julius Randle, Sha’Carri Richardson, Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty) and many others.
Washington Wizards point guard Russell Westbrook, who recently broke Oscar Robertson’s record for most career triple-doubles, was recognized with the Best Record-Breaking Performance Award.
“I’m super thankful for the ones before me, especially Oscar Robertson,” Westbrook said. “[I] just want to thank him, his sacrifice for the game, his inspiration to me. [I] thank all my teammates and coaches over the years, thank you guys for voting for me.”
Tennis star and four-time Grand Slam singles champion Naomi Osaka was met with applause as she won the award for Best Athlete Women’s Sports.
“I just want to say thank you ESPN, thank you all the supporters, thank you to my fans,” Osaka said. “I know this year has been really, it hasn’t even finished, but it’s been really tough for a lot of us and for me, I just want to say I really love you guys.”
LaMelo Ball, who was recently named NBA Rookie of the Year, also took home the award for Best Breakthrough Athlete.
The ESPY’s also recognized Chris Nikic, who became the first person with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman, with the Jimmy V Perseverance Award.
Simone Biles, who is set to compete in the upcoming Olympics Games in Tokyo, won the award for Best Championship Performance.
Seven-time Superbowl champion Tom Brady beat out fellow male athletes Nikola Jokic, Connor McDavid and Lewis Hamilton to nab the award for Best Athlete Men’s Sports. He also won the award for Best NFL Player.
“I’m very honored to be chosen as Best Athlete Men’s Sports,” Brady said in a pre-recorded video message. “And I’ve always said that I don’t really play for individual awards or stats, I love football and I love that it’s a team sport and that our team won the Superbowl.”
Robin Roberts was also on-hand to present WNBA star Maya Moore with the prestigious Arthur Ashe Courage Award for her dedicated work to criminal justice reform.
“The headline has been centered around the courage it took for me to step away from the game of basketball, but I’d like to take some time with you tonight to talk about a different aspect of courage in this story,” Moore said. “Specifically, the courage that it takes to love when it’s hard. The courage to live in a way where you’re in real relationship with people. And so if you want to say I have courage, I’d say my courage has not been as much in me not playing but in the emotional and mental and spiritual outpouring into love and fighting against injustice.”
The Full List Of Winners of the 2021 ESPY Awards can be found below.
BEST ATHLETE, MEN’S SPORTS
- Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
- Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
- Lewis Hamilton, Formula 1
Winner: Tom Brady
BEST ATHLETE, WOMEN’S SPORTS
- Naomi Osaka, tennis
- Simone Biles, gymnastics
- Amanda Nunes, UFC
- Breanna Stewart, Seattle Storm
Winner: Naomi Osaka
BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE
- Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
- Chase Young, Washington Football Team
- LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets
- Crystal Dangerfield, Minnesota Lynx
Winner: LaMelo Ball
BEST GAME
- NCAA men’s basketball Final Four: Gonzaga 93, UCLA 90
- NCAA women’s basketball championship: Stanford 54, Arizona 53
- NFL Week 14: Ravens 47, Browns 42
- NHL playoffs: Winnipeg Jets sweep Edmonton Oilers in triple OT
Winner: Gonzaga vs. UCLA
BEST COLLEGE ATHLETE, MEN’S SPORTS
- DeVonta Smith, Alabama football
- Luka Garza, Iowa basketball
- Gloire Amanda, Oregon State soccer
- Trevor Lawrence, Clemson football
Winner: DeVonta Smith
BEST COLLEGE ATHLETE, WOMEN’S SPORTS
- Paige Bueckers, Connecticut basketball
- Madison Lilley, Kentucky volleyball
- Jaelin Howell, Florida State soccer
- Odicci Alexander, James Madison softball
Winner: Paige Bueckers
BEST TEAM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers, NFL
- Stanford Cardinal, NCAA women’s basketball
- Baylor Bears, NCAA men’s basketball
- Alabama Crimson Tide, NCAA football
- Oklahoma Sooners, NCAA softball
- Seattle Storm, WNBA
- Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB
Winner: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
BEST INTERNATIONAL ATHLETE, MEN’S SOCCER
- Kylian Mbappe, Paris Saint-Germain/French national team
- Lionel Messi, Barcelona/Argentina national team
- Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus/Portugal national team
- Mohamed Salah, Liverpool/Egypt national team
Winner: Cristiano Ronaldo
BEST INTERNATIONAL ATHLETE, WOMEN’S SOCCER
- Sam Kerr, Chelsea/Australia national team
- Fran Kirby, Chelsea/English national team
- Vivianne Miedema, Arsenal/Netherlands national team
- Sam Mewis, Manchester City/USA national team
Winner: Sam Mewis
BEST PLAY
- Kyler Murray launches Hail Mary to DeAndre Hopkins (11/15/2020)
- Simone Biles became the first woman to land a Yurchenko double pike on vault in competition (5/22/21)
- Unseeded Marshall soccer scores with less than three minutes remaining in OT to claim first national title (5/17/21)
- Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf chases down Cardinals defensive back Budda Baker (10/25/20)
Winner: Kyler Murray’s Hail Mary
BEST NFL PLAYER
- Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
- Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams
- Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
Winner: Tom Brady
BEST MLB PLAYER
- Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox
- Trevor Bauer, Cincinnati Reds (2020), LA Dodgers (2021)
- Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
Winner: Shohei Ohtani
BEST NHL PLAYER
- Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
- Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
- Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
Winner: Patrick Kane
BEST DRIVER
- Scott Dixon, IndyCar
- Lewis Hamilton, F1
- Chase Elliott, NASCAR
- Erica Enders, NHRA
Winner: Lewis Hamilton
BEST NBA PLAYER
- Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
- Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
- Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
- Chris Paul, Phoenix Suns
Winner: Stephen Curry
BEST WNBA PLAYER
- A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
- Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas Wings
- Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks (2020), Chicago Sky (2021)
- Breanna Stewart, Seattle Storm
Winner: Breanna Stewart
BEST BOXER
- Canelo Alvarez
- Teofimo Lopez
- Claressa Shields
- Tyson Fury
Winner: Tyson Fury
BEST MMA FIGHTER
- Amanda Nunes
- Khabib Nurmagomedov
- Rose Namajunas
- Francis Ngannou
Winner: Khabib Nurmagomedov
