The 2023 ESPYS looked a little different this year, going without a host for the first time in its 31-year history amid the Hollywood writers strike. The sports celebrations carried on, though, with athletes across various games uniting at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was the night’s big winner, taking home both best athlete, men’s sports and best NFL player, with the Chiefs also winning for best team. Mikaela Shiffrin (best athlete, women’s sports), Angel Reese (best breakthrough athlete), LeBron James (best record-breaking performance) and Lionel Messi (best championship performance) were also among the top honorees.
Presenters included Damar Hamlin, Dwyane Wade, Travis Kelce, Sue Bird, Mike Tyson and Livvy Dunne, with performances by Lil Wayne and H.E.R. — who performed a tribute to the 30th anniversary of the V Foundation and Jim Valvano’s iconic ESPYS speech in 1993. Peyton and Eli Manning also took part in a comedy sketch.
On top of the competitive honors, special awards were also presented, with the U.S. women’s national soccer team given the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage; Chicago White Sox pitcher and cancer survivor Liam Hendriks honored with the Jimmy V. Award for Perseverance; and the Buffalo Bills training staff awarded with the Pat Tillman Award for Service, presented by MassMutual.
Additionally, Sports Humanitarian Awards honorees were recognized during this year’s show, including the recipients of the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award (Jrue Holiday of the Milwaukee Bucks and Lauren Holiday, a retired member of the U.S. Women’s National Team), the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award (Jordan Adeyemi, Ashley Badis and Rishan Patel), the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award (Dr. Richard Lapchick) and the Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year Award (San Antonio Spurs).
See the full list of 2023 ESPYS winners below:
Best Athlete, Men’s Sports: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City ChiefsBest Athlete, Women’s Sports: Mikaela Shiffrin, SkiBest Breakthrough Athlete: Angel Reese, LSU Women’s BasketballBest Record-Breaking Performance: LeBron James surpasses Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for NBA careerscoring recordBest Championship Performance: Lionel Messi, Argentina – World Cup FinalBest Comeback Athlete: Jamal Murray, Denver NuggetsBest Play: Justin Jefferson with the Catch of the CenturyBest Team: Kansas City ChiefsBest College Athlete, Men’s Sports: Caleb Williams, USC FootballBest College Athlete, Women’s Sports: Caitlin Clark, Iowa Women’s BasketballBest Athlete with a Disability: Zach Miller, SnowboardingBest NFL Player: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City ChiefsBest MLB Player: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles AngelsBest NHL Player: Connor McDavid, Edmonton OilersBest NBA Player: Nikola Jokić, Denver NuggetsBest WNBA Player: A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas AcesBest Driver: Max Verstappen, F1Best UFC Fighter: Jon JonesBest Boxer: Claressa ShieldsBest Soccer Player: Lionel Messi, Argentina/PSGBest Golfer: Scottie SchefflerBest Tennis Player: Novak Djokovic