HOLLYWOOD—The biggest names in professional sports walked the red carpet for the 2014 Espy Awards on July 16. The ceremony was hosted by rapper/actor Drake who won rave reviews for his comedic hi-jinks on “Saturday Night Live.â€
His opening monologue proved to be a lot funnier than many expected as he took jabs at LeBron James, Donald Sterling, Prince Fielder and Richard Sherman. Throughout the night the host did a bevy of skits, one involving NBA star Blake Griffin, where the duo switched personas; it was indeed a funny bit to say the least.
The highlight in my eyes involved Drake and his supposed nemesis Chris Brown burying the hatchet to get a few laughs with the audience. Pure genius in my opinion! A full list of this year’s winners are listed below:
Best Team
-Seattle Seahawks, NFL Best Male Athlete
-Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder Best Female Athlete
-Ronda Rousey, UFC Best Comeback Athlete
-Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder Best Jockey
-Victor Espinoza Best Play
-Chris Davis, Auburn University Best Driver
-Ryan Hunter-Reay, IndyCar Best Male U.S. Olympic Athlete
-Sage Kotsenburg, Snowboard Slopestyle Best Female U.S. Olympic Athlete
-Jamie Anderson, Snowboard Slopestyle Best Game
-Alabama vs. Auburn, Iron Bowl Best Male Action Sports Athlete
-Nyjah Huston, Skateboarding Best Female Action Sports Athlete
-Jamie Anderson, Snowboard Slopestyle Best Moment
-USA Beats Ghana in World Cup Best Upset
-Mercer over Duke, NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Best Breakthrough Athlete
-Richard Sherman Best Championship Performance
-Kawhi Leonard, NBA Finals MVP Best Coach/Manager
-Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs Best NFL Player
-Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos Best MLB Player
-Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers Best NHL Player
-Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins Best NBA Player
-Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder Best WNBA Player
-Maya Moore, Minnesota Lynx Best Fighter
-Floyd Mayweather, Boxing Best Male Golfer
-Bubba Watson Best Female Golfer
-Michelle Wie Best Male Tennis Player
-Rafael Nadal Best Female Tennis Player
-Maria Sharapova Best Bowler
-Pete Weber Best MLS Player
-Tim Cahill, New York Red Bulls Best Male College Athlete
-Doug McDermott, Creighton Basketball Best Female College Athlete
-Breanna Stewart, Connecticut Basketball Best Male Athlete With a Disability
-Declan Farmer, Sled Hockey Best Female Athlete With a Disability
-Jamie Whitmore, Para-cycling