LeBron James was censored for cursing on stage. Damar Hamlin tearfully took in a standing ovation while surrounded by Buffalo Bills staffers who helped him recover from his January heart attack. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and Super Bowl LVII MVP Patrick Mahomes continued his winning streak by getting the most awards (three), including Best Athlete, Men’s Sports. 

Those were some of the key moments at the 2023 ESPYS Presented by Capital One, which took place Wednesday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. In the United States, ABC aired the show, which recognizes athletes and others involved in sports. The ESPY Awards (or ESPYS) are voted for by the general public and sports professionals.

Basketball superstar LeBron James, who currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, won the award for Best Record-Breaking Performance, for surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 38,387 points for the NBA’s highest career scoring record for regular seasons. LeBron was joined on stage by his wife, Savannah, and their three kids: son LeBron Jr. (nicknamed Bronny), son Bryce, and daughter Zhuri. Savannah introduced LeBron before he accepted his award and said as a compliment, “I think LeBron is the baddest motherf…,” before she was interrupted by Zhuri, who said in a stern voice, “Mom!,” to stop Savannah from cursing.

In his acceptance speech, LeBron said of Savannah, “If any of y’all know her, you know she don’t ever do sh*t like this, ever.” The curse word was censored from the ABC broadcast. Lebron added, “I’m loving it that y’all get to see the queen that I get to be with every day. Kudos to you, baby. For our family, no one has sacrificed more and [done] more hard work than you. I appreciate you for that. I love you.”

LeBron also gave a shout-out to his mother Gloria: “That’s my G.O.A.T. [greatest of all time].” 

The athlete added, “I’ve never, ever cheated a game, and I will never take it for granted. … You can love me—and I know some of you hate me, as well—but the one thing you will always do is respect me and appreciate the way I approach the game and what I have given to this game.”

The Buffalo Bills training staff was given the Pat Tillman Award for Service, in large part for the staff’s crucial role in Hamlin’s recovery. Hamlin, a safety for the Buffalo Bills, suffered cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2, 2023. During the awards ceremony, Hamlin briefly introduced members of Buffalo Bills training staff. Nathan “Nate” Breske, head athletic trainer for the team, spoke on behalf of the staff and addressed Hamlin on stage.

“Thank you for staying alive, brother,” Breske told Hamlin, calling the athlete a “strong and courageous human being.” Breske also mentioned the importance of raising awareness for cardiac events, as well as learning CPR and how to use automated external defibrillators.

Mahomes won prizes for Best Athlete, Men’s Sports, and for Best NFL Player. He was also one of the recipients of the award for Best Team, which went to the Kansas City Chiefs. Mahomes said during his acceptance for Best Athlete, Men’s Sports: “I want to thank my teammates and coaches for making me look good.” He also thanked his family, God, and Kansas City Chiefs fans. “Chiefs Kingdom is the best fan base in the world,” Mahomes added.

At the end of the show, when the award for Best Team was presented, Mahomes was joined on stage by three of his Kansas City Chiefs teammates: tight end Travis Kelce (who did most of talking), defensive tackle Chris Jones, and running back Isiah Pacheco. Jones quipped about his teammates on stage: “They score all the points. I just sack the quarterback. My job is easy.”

Some other Black winners of 2023 ESPY Awards included Claressa Shields (Best Boxer); A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces (Best WNBA Player); Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets (Best Comeback Athlete); and Angel Reese of Louisiana State University Women’s Basketball (Best Breakthrough Athlete).

In her acceptance speech, Reese thanked God, her family, LSU, and her teammates, and promised, “Another natty [national championship] is coming, period!” 

Due to the Writers Guild of America strike, there was no host for the show. However, ESPN sports analyst Pat McAfee acted as an extended presenter, including opening the show with a 12-minute monologue, which was a mixture of serious commentary and sarcastic jokes. In the monologue, McAfee mentioned recent scandals involving professional athletes. 

McAfee said that the show’s executives asked him and fellow ESPN sports analyst Stephen Smith to help guide the ceremony, since McAfee and Smith are not WGA members. McAfee added, “Unfortunately, for all of us, Stephen A. Smith is busy this evening, trying to get to the bottom of that Zion Williamson OF [OnlyFans] model face tattoo thing.” Basketball player Williamson has been hit with infidelity allegations from model Moriah Mills, who got an apparent face tattoo of Williams, after she went public with claims that Williamson cheated on his girlfriend by having a fling with Mills. 

McAfee also made a jab at San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama, who got into some controversy because a member of his security team allegedly slapped Britney Spears in the face after she approached Wembanyama for a photo on July 5 at a Las Vegas restaurant. (Las Vegas police declined to file charges against the alleged slapper.) McAfee commented on Wembanyama: “I think all of us, learning of him very recently, can’t wait to watch him take on the NBA’s best: the Kardashian family.”

The Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award, a noncompetitive prize, went to basketball player Jrue Holiday of the Buffalo Bucks and his wife, Lauren Holiday, a former professional soccer player. Their nonprofit Jrue and Lauren Holiday Social Impact Fund donates money to Black-owned small businesses and nonprofits. Jrue Holiday said in his part of the couple’s acceptance speech: “As proud as we are of the businesses we helped, we know we haven’t scratched the surface of what is needed to be done.”

Another noncompetitive prize, the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, went to the U.S. women’s national soccer team. In 2022, the team won its long-fought battle to get paid equally to the U.S. men’s national soccer team. Briana Scurry, who was with the U.S. women’s national soccer team from 1994 to 2008, said in her acceptance speech: “What we have done is amazing.” She said of all members of the past and present U.S. women’s national soccer team: “We are accepting this award on behalf of every single one of them.”

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul paid tribute to Carmelo Anthony, who didn’t get an actual award but was honored during the show. On stage, Anthony thanked his family, friends, colleagues and fans. “This journey would not have been possible without you guys. As I move forward into this next phase of my life, we’re going to have a lot of fun. I’m excited to follow my passion and continue chasing my dreams. I encourage all of you to do the same.”

The musical performances at the show were by Lil Wayne (who performed “A Milli” near the beginning of the ceremony) and H.E.R., who sang “The Journey.” Other Black presenters included Reese, Mike Tyson, Hamlin, Quavo, Kyrie Irving, Lil Durk, Skylar Diggins-Smith, and Lil Rel Howery.A complete list of winners can be found at the official ESPY Awards website.