Making much of the year’s top athletes, the 2013 ESPY Awards took place at Los Angeles’ Nokia Theatre LA Live earlier this evening (July 17).
With Vintage Trouble serving as the house band and Jon Hamm manning the emcee position, the 21st edition of the ESPYS was a raging success, complete with plenty of Tinseltown celebrities as well as sports stars.
The night’s big winner was the Miami Heat, which scored the top prize for best team, while LeBron James and Serena Williams took home the awards best male and female athlete respectively.
As for the celebrity presenter roster, folks like Don Cheadle, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Ben Affleck, Selena Gomez, Jason Sudeikis, Chrissy Teigen, Lake Bell, and Kevin Bacon, all turned out for their chance to pass out the evening’s trophies.
http://youtu.be/SN4bbbm9GD4
Below is small compilation list of some of the main categories and the winners at the 2013 ESPYS:
BEST MALE ATHLETE
WINNER LeBron James, Miami Heat
• Won his fourth NBA MVP, second straight Finals MVP
• Led the Heat to a second straight NBA title and franchise-record 66-16 mark
• Only player to lead his team in scoring (26.8 ppg), rebounding (8.0 rpg) and assists (7.3 apg)
BEST FEMALE ATHLETE
WINNER Serena Williams, Women’s Tennis
• Won the 2012 Wimbledon and US Open singles championships
• Olympic gold medals in both singles and doubles
• Won the 2013 French Open singles title
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE
WINNER LeBron James, NBA Finals MVP
• Led the Heat to an NBA title in 7 game series over San Antonio Spurs
• Averaged 25.3 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 7.0 apg over course of Finals
• Had 32 pts, 10 reb, 11 assists in Game 6, 37 pts and 12 reb in Game 7
BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE
WINNER Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers
• Became the starting QB in Week 11 and led the Niners to the Super Bowl
• Threw for 1814 yards, 10 TDs and only 3 INTs while rushing for 415 yards and 5 TDs in the regular season
• Had 798 yards and 4 TDs passing, 264 yards and 3 TDs rushing in the playoffs
BEST RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE
WINNER Michael Phelps most decorated Olympian
• Finished his career with 22 medals spanning three Olympics
• Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina held the previous record of 18
BEST UPSET
WINNER Florida Gulf Coast over Georgetown, NCAA men’s basketball tournament
• 15th-seeded FGCU beat 2nd-seeded Georgetown 78-68
• The Eagles went on to become the first 15 seed to make the Sweet 16
BEST GAME
WINNER Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs, NBA Finals Game 6
• Spurs had a five point lead with 28 seconds left in the 4th quarter
• The Heat rallied and tied the game on a Ray Allen 3-pointer with 5 seconds left
• Heat went on to win in OT 103-100
BEST MOMENT
WINNER Jack Hoffman touchdown run in Nebraska Spring game
• Hoffman is a 7-year old die hard Cornhusker fan battling brain cancer
• After befriending Nebraska RB Rex Burkhead, he was invited to participate in the Huskers’ spring game, and ran for a long touchdown in the 4th quarter
BEST TEAM
WINNER Miami Heat, NBA
• Won second straight NBA Finals in seven games over San Antonio Spurs
• Had franchise record 66-16 record, included 27 straight wins
BEST COMEBACK
WINNER Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
• Tore his ACL and MCL in Week 16 of 2011 season
• Started Week 1 just 9 months after surgery
• NFL MVP rushed for 2,097 yards, second most in league history
BEST COACH/MANAGER
WINNER Rick Pitino, Louiville Men’s Basketball
• First NCAA Division I coach to win a championship with two different schools
• Led Louisville to a 35-5 record
BEST INTERNATIONAL ATHLETE
WINNER Usain Bolt, Athletics
• Won three gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics
• First to win back-to-back 100m golds since Carl Lewis in 1984 and 1988
Gallery:
http://youtu.be/SN4bbbm9GD4
