On Saturday evening, some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment descended on The Rooftop at Pier 17 at the Seaport in New York City to celebrate the year's best moments in sports at The 2021 ESPYS Presented by Capital One.
The evening's first award went to University of Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith, who was named Best College Athlete, Men's Sports. Recording artist Kane Brown and Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim presented Smith with the award following his breakout year in college football, winning the 2020 Heisman trophy and leading Alabama to another national championship victory. Best Athlete - Women's Sports went to tennis superstar Naomi Osaka. NBA Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball was awarded Best Breakthrough Athlete, and Gonzaga and UCLA took home the award for Best Game for the Bulldogs' 93-90 win over the Bruins in a buzzer-beater upset in the NCAA Final Four.
Best Championship Performance went to Olympian Simone Biles for winning her seventh U.S. all-around title at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships earlier this year in June. Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady also took home two awards for Best NFL Player and Best Athlete, Men's Sports after leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl win in his first season with the organization.
Additionally, each year, "The ESPYS" recognizes individuals in the world of sports who have demonstrated admirable perseverance, courage, and strength in the face of adversity with three marquee awards: the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance, the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage and the Pat Tillman Award for Service. Award-winning actor Taye Diggs presented the Pat Tillman Award for Service to Manchester United and England forward Marcus Rashford for his service work on homelessness and child hunger. Later, Tim Tebow presented the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance to Chris Nikic, the first person with Down syndrome to have completed an Ironman triathlon. Lastly, Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts gave an emotional speech to present the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage to WNBA superstar and activist Maya Moore, who departed from the sport at the peak of her career to rededicate her life to criminal justice reform.
See the full list of "The 2021 ESPYS" winners below:
Best Athlete, Women's Sports: Naomi Osaka, Tennis
Best Athlete, Men's Sports: Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Best Breakthrough Athlete: LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets
Best Game: NCAA Men's Final Four: Gonzaga (93) vs. UCLA (90)
Best College Athlete, Women's Sports: Paige Bueckers, University of Connecticut Basketball
Best College Athlete, Men's Sports: DeVonta Smith, Alabama Football
Best Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, NFL
Best Record-Breaking Performance: Russell Westbrook, Washington Wizards - breaks Oscar Robertson's 47year-old triple-double record with 182
Best Play: Kyler Murray Launches Hail Mary to DeAndre Hopkins (11/15/2020)
Best Championship Performance: Simone Biles
Best Championship Moment: Los Angeles Dodgers win the World Series
Best Coach: Tara VanDerveer
Best International Athlete, Men's Soccer: Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus/Portugal National Team
Best International Athlete, Women's Soccer: Sam Mewis, Manchester City/USA National Team
Best NFL Player: Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Best MLB Player: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
Best NHL Player: Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
Best Driver: Lewis Hamilton, F1
Best NBA Player: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Best WNBA Player: Breanna Stewart, Seattle Storm
Best Boxer: Tyson Fury
Best MMA Fighter: Khabib Nurmagomedov
Best Athlete, Men's Golf: Phil Mickelson
Best Athlete, Women's Golf: Sei Young Kim
Best Athlete, Men's Tennis: Novak Djokovic
Best Athlete, Women's Tennis: Naomi Osaka
Best Athlete, Men's Action Sports: Gabriel Medina, Surf (BRA)
Best Athlete, Women's Action Sports: Chloe Kim, Snowboard (USA)
Best Jockey: Joel Rosario
Best Athlete with a Disability, Men's Sports: Chris Nikic, Triathlon
Best Athlete with a Disability, Women's Sports: Becca Murray, Wheelchair Basketball
Best Bowler: Tom Daugherty
Best MLS Player: Diego Rossi, Los Angeles FC
Best NWSL Player: Julie Ertz, Chicago Red Stars
Best WWE Moment: Sasha Banks & Bianca Belair make history as the first Black women to main event WrestleMania.
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