Last night’s ESPY Awards opened with an incredibly powerful message from Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwayne Wade and LeBron James. In a tasteful speech, the basketball players took a stance against injustice, paid homage to athletes who were also social activists and set a call to action—calling for the violence to stop.
The show was heartfelt and as always, inspiring and moving. Our favorite highlights included Zaevion Dobson’s family accepting the Arthur Ashe Courage Award on behalf of their fallen loved one. “We as a country need to take a stand to consider the effects of gun violence on families throughout America,” his mother Zenobia said. She gave a tearfully passionate speech about her son’s life, and the importance of ending gun violence.
"It's up to all of us to build a country that's worthy of Zaevion's promise." —@POTUS on Zaevion Dobson #ESPYS https://t.co/7pKls0rIaE
— White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) July 14, 2016
Other highlights included LeBron James taking home Best NBA Player, Best Male Athlete and Best Championship Performance while The Cleveland Cavaliers graciously took home Best Team, Best Game and Best Moment awards.
Eric Berry, who received the award for Best Comeback Player delivered an awesome speech about how keeping positive, and not viewing himself as a victim helped him get through his cancer diagnosis.
Chance The Rapper (featuring Jamila Woods, Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment) closed the award show with a beautiful tribute to Muhammad Ali, reminiscent of a Sunday service.
Below are all the winners from last night:
Best Game: NBA Finals Game 7
Best NBA Player: LeBron James
Best MLB Player: Bryce Harper
Best Female Action Sports Athlete: Jamie Anderson
Best Male Action Sports Athlete: Ryan Dungey
Best Jockey: Mario Gutierrez
Best Bowler: Jason Belmonte
Best Female College Athlete: Breanna Stewart
Best Female Athlete with a Disability: Tatyana McFadden
Best Male Athlete with a Disability: Richard Browne
Best Upset: Holly Holm over Ronda Rousey
Best Coach: Tyronn Lue
Best International Athlete: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Fighter: Conor McGregor
Best NFL Player: Cam Newton
Best NHL Player: Sidney Crosby
Best WNBA Player: Maya Moore
Best Male College Athlete: Buddy Hield
Best Driver: Kyle Busch
Best Male Golfer: Jordan Spieth
Best Female Golfer: Lydia Ko
Best Male Tennis Player: Novak Djokovic
Best Female Tennis Player: Serena Williams
Best MLS player: Sebastian Giovinco
Best Male Athlete: LeBron James
Best Female Athlete: Breanna Stewart
Best Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
Arthur Ashe Courage Award: Zaevion Dobson
Jimmy V Perseverance Award: Craig Sager
Best Play: Aaron Rodgers
Best Moment: Cleveland Cavaliers
Best Comeback Player: Eric Berry
Pat Tillman Award for Service: Elizabeth Marks
Best Breakthrough Athlete: Jake Arrieta
Best Record-Breaking Performance: Stephen Curry
Icon Award: Kobe Bryan, Abby Wambach, Peyton Manning