2021 ESPYS: Recap, Big Winners, And Tales Of Triumph

2021 ESPYS: Recap, Big Winners, And Tales Of Triumph
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LaMelo Ball

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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Luke Keller