Chiefs, Mahomes, Shiffrin take top honors at 2023 ESPYS
The Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs added to their accolades at Wednesday night’s ESPYS, winning the award for Best Team and quarterback Patrick Mahomes honored as Best Athlete, Men’s Sports and Best NFL Player.
Mahomes has won two Super Bowls in his five seasons and was named MVP of the game each time, including this past February. He will turn 28 in September.
“It was an incredible season. There was many ups, many downs,” Mahomes said. “I appreciate my teammates, my coaches, the guys that are here. I go back to camp next Tuesday, so this is a great award. But we’re going to do this thing again, we’re going to keep this thing rolling.”
Skier Mikaela Shiffrin received the award for Best Athlete, Women’s Sports. Shiffrin won her 87th World Cup race in March, breaking the mark set by Ingemar Stenmark for the most such wins by any skier. She went on to win an 88th Cup race, as well as the overall season title.
“This season was absolutely incredible, and there was a lot of talk about records,” Shiffrin said at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. “And it got me thinking: Why is a record actually important? I just feel like it’s not important to break records or reset records. It’s important to set the tone for the next generation, to inspire them.”
Other champions from the past year also heard their names called at the 30th ESPYS, an event that helps raise awareness and funds for the V Foundation for Cancer Research. The charity was founded by ESPN and the late college basketball coach Jim Valvano at the first ESPYS in 1993.
The Denver Nuggets, who won their first NBA title last month, saw center Nikola Jokic named Best NBA Player and point guard Jamal Murray named Best Comeback Athlete.
A’ja Wilson, who led the Las Vegas Aces to their first WNBA title last season, was honored as Best WNBA Player, and Angel Reese of the NCAA women’s basketball champion LSU Tigers was named Best Breakthrough Athlete.
The award for Best Championship Performance went to Lionel Messi, who won his first World Cup with Argentina. He also was named Best Soccer Player.
Jimmy V Award for Perseverance
Chicago White Sox pitcher and cancer survivor Liam Hendriks received the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance, recognizing Hendriks’ strength and resilience since his diagnosis with Stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma in December.
Hendriks, who has donated $100,000 to cancer research throughout his treatment, announced in April he was cancer-free before returning to the mound in May.
The 34-year-old Australian hurler told the ESPYS audience he had pitched much of the 2022 season with cancer.
“That was an eye-opener,” Hendriks said. “I didn’t feel too many symptoms, but I had some lumps around. It just shows you the power of the mind. When you don’t think anything’s wrong and you believe that you can do anything, you can do anything.
“I was throwing 100 mph while going through Stage 4 lymphoma, and then coming back after doing eight rounds of chemotherapy and four rounds of immunotherapy and was able to get out there and throw 96 mph. That isn’t physically who I am. That’s all this, that’s all mental.”
Arthur Ashe Award for Courage
The Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, which goes to a person or group in the sporting world that makes a difference far beyond the field of play, was awarded to the United States women’s national soccer team for their ongoing pursuit of equal pay.
The players sued U.S. Soccer in 2019. And in May 2022, unions for players on the U.S. women’s and men’s national teams approved new collective bargaining agreements with U.S. Soccer that afforded the women’s team equal pay for international competition, including World Cup bonuses. The CBAs went into effect in June 2022, and they run through 2028. Since then, the USWNT has continued to leverage their platform to raise awareness around pay inequity and social injustices in the U.S.
Briana Scurry, goalkeeper for the national team from 1994 to 2008, saluted the 1985 team.
“They are the foundation of this entire community of giants,” she said.
Pat Tillman Award for Service
An emotional Damar Hamlin presented members of the Buffalo Bills athletic training staff with the Pat Tillman Award for Service for the lifesaving measures they took when he suffered cardiac arrest during a January game.
The Tillman award goes to a group or an individual with a strong connection to sports that has served others in a way that echoes the legacy of the former NFL player and U.S. Army Ranger.
The Bills athletic training staff’s quick actions on the field, using CPR and an automated external defibrillator, helped resuscitate Hamlin before he was taken to a hospital for further treatment. He has since recovered and plans to play this fall.
The staff was greeted by a standing ovation from The ESPYS audience. The staff huddled around Hamlin on stage, hugging him and patting his back. With his back to the audience, Hamlin bent his head and appeared to break down.
“Damar, first and foremost, thank you for staying alive, brother,” said Nate Breske, head trainer for the Bills.
“We’re not used to having the spotlight on us,” he said. “We were just doing our job, but the idea of service is definitely something that is ingrained in our profession and that we take great pride in.”
Breske urged support for funding for automated external defibrillators and CPR training, especially in underserved communities, as well as for athletic trainers in youth sports.
“Learn CPR and how to use an AED because they save lives,” he said.
Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award: Jrue and Lauren Holiday
Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award: Jordan Adeyemi, Ashley Badis, Rishan Patel
Other Winners announced
Best Record-Breaking Performance: Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for NBA career scoring record
Best Play: Minnesota Vikings’ Justin Jefferson makes one-handed catch against Buffalo Bills
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 MLB Player: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
Best NHL Player: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Best Driver: Max Verstappen, F1
Best UFC Fighter: Jon Jones
Best Boxer: Claressa Shields
Best Golfer: Scottie Scheffler
Best Tennis Player: Novak Djokovic
The Associated Press contributed to this report.