LOS ANGELES — Kevin Durant won two ESPY Awards, including male athlete of the year, and mixed martial arts star Ronda Rousey earned female athlete honors, becoming the first UFC fighter to claim a trophy in the biggest category at the show honoring the year’s best performances Wednesday night.
LOS ANGELES — Kevin Durant won two ESPY Awards, including male athlete of the year, and mixed martial arts star Ronda Rousey earned female athlete honors, becoming the first UFC fighter to claim a trophy in the biggest category at the show honoring the year’s best performances Wednesday night.
Durant also won best NBA player, ending LeBron James’ two-year reign in both categories.
“Everybody helped me out along the way,” the Oklahoma City Thunder star said. “My beautiful mom watching at home who couldn’t be here. My favorite teammate, Russell Westbrook.”
Durant beat out fellow male athlete nominees Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers, Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos and boxer Floyd Mayweather during the show hosted by rapper Drake at the Nokia Theatre.
Rousey, the first female UFC champion, won over WNBA star Maya Moore, Olympic champion skier Mikaela Shiffrin and Brenna Stewart of national champion Connecticut.
The winners in most categories were determined by fan voting.
Rousey didn’t attend, with presenter Chrissy Teigen saying the fighter had surgery a day earlier.
Manning didn’t go home empty-handed. He collected two trophies: best NFL player and record-breaking performance. Manning won his fifth MVP award last season, when he set single-season records by passing for 55 touchdowns and more than 5,500 yards.
The Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks won best team. Their All-Pro cornerback, Richard Sherman, won breakthrough athlete.
The best game was the Iron Bowl matchup between No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Auburn, with the Tigers winning 34-28 on the final play to spoil the Tide’s BCS hopes.
Led by goalie Tim Howard, the U.S. men’s soccer team won best moment for its run to the round of 16 in the World Cup.
Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal won best international athlete.
Drake zinged Howard and Sherman in his opening monologue. The rapper joked about banned Clippers owner Donald Sterling, saying, “We’re a few hundred yards from Staples Center, which is as close as Donald Sterling is allowed to get.”
Clippers star Blake Griffin laughed until the camera caught him and he acted serious, drawing laughs. Griffin and Drake teamed up for a funny pre-taped bit in which they pretended to be each other while spewing insults, with rapper Chris Brown joining in. Brown, who has been in and out of jail, jokingly introduced himself as “America’s sweetheart.”
James wasn’t on hand, but Drake noted the superstar’s recent decision to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers after winning two NBA titles in Miami.
“You know what 40 million gets you in Miami? A really nice house,” Drake said. “You know what 40 million gets you in Cleveland? Cleveland, you get the whole thing.”
Drake mixed in song, too. He crooned “Honorable Mention,” a tune he said was dedicated to the runner-ups, including Triple Crown loser California Chrome and NASCAR driver Danica Patrick.
Lil’ Wayne cracked up as Drake sang “Side Pieces,” full of references to the on-the-road cheating that goes on in sports. Drake noted a lot of men in the audience wanted the song to be over.
Drake revisited Sterling with a rap accompanied by video of the Clippers owner saying he isn’t a racist. The screen displayed the hashtag of Sterlingneverlovedus.
ESPY Awards List
LOS ANGELES — Winners at the 2014 ESPY Awards presented Wednesday:
Best Breakthrough Athlete: Richard Sherman
Best Moment: U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team
Best Game: Iron Bowl
Best Record-Breaking Performance: Peyton Manning
Best Play: Chris Davis
Best Female Athlete: Ronda Rousey
Best Male Athlete: Kevin Durant
Best Team: Seattle Seahawks
Best Upset: Mercer
Best Female Action Sports Athlete: Jamie Anderson
Best Male Action Sports Athlete: Nyjah Houston
Best Female Athlete with a Disability: Jamie Whitmore
Best Male Athlete with a Disability: Declan Farmer
Best Female College Athlete: Breanna Stewart
Best Male College Athlete: Doug McDermott
Best Coach/Manager: Gregg Popovich
Best MLS Player: Tim Cahill
Best NBA Player: Kevin Durant
Best NFL Player: Peyton Manning
Best NHL Player: Sidney Crosby
Best MLB Player: Miguel Cabrera
Best WNBA Player: Maya Moore
Best Female US Olympian: Jamie Anderson
Best Male US Olympian: Sage Kotsenburg
Championship Performance: Kawhi Leonard
Best Bowler: Pete Weber
Best Female Tennis Player: Maria Sharapova
Best Male Tennis Player: Rafael Nadal
Best Comeback Athlete: Russell Westbrook
Best Female Golfer: Michelle Wie
Best Male Golfer: Bubba Watson
Best International Athlete: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Fighter: Floyd Mayweather
Best Driver: Ryan Hunter-Reay
Best Jockey: Victor Espinoza
SPECIAL AWARDS
Jimmy V Perseverance Award: Stuart Scott
Arthur Ashe Courage Award: Michael Sam
Pat Tillman Award For Service: Josh Sweeney