NEW YORK — The stars were out in full force Saturday night at the 2021 ESPY Awards in New York City.
Ageless quarterback Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was named the best men’s athlete and tennis star Naomi Osaka was named the top women’s athlete.
Brady was not at the ceremony, which was held at The Rooftop at Pier 17 at the Seaport. The award was presented by his longtime teammate, tight end Rob Gronkowski.
“What a surprise he couldn’t show up,” Gronkowski joked.
Brady, who was also named the best NFL player, did send a prerecorded message and thanked his teammates for winning Super Bowl LV.
“I hope you guys are enjoying yourselves in New York, I certainly wish I could be there with you guys and all my teammates to celebrate,” Brady said. “I love football and that it’s a team sport and that our team won the Super Bowl.”
Osaka returned to the spotlight for the first time since withdrawing from the French Open in May and skipping Wimbledon, The Associated Press reported.
Osaka was fined $15,000 by the French Open in May after she announced she would not speak to the media during the Grand Slam event. She then withdrew from the event and also did not play at Wimbledon. Osaka said she skipped her media obligations during the French Open because of the effects of her interactions with the press on her mental health.
Saturday night, Osaka made some brief remarks.
“I just really want to not to say a long speech because I’m a bit nervous,” Osaka said.
In addition to best woman athlete, Osaka won the award for best women’s tennis players.
Here is the list of winners:
- Jimmy V Award for Perseverance: Chris Nikic
- Pat Tillman Award for Service: Marcus Rashford
- Arthur Ashe Courage Award: Maya Moore
- Best Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, NFL
- Best Championship Moment: Los Angeles Dodgers win the World Series
- Best Athlete, Men’s Sports: Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Best Coach: Tara VanDerveer
- Best WWE Moment: Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair make history as the first Black women to main event WrestleMania.
- Best College Athlete, Women’s Sports: Paige Bueckers, UConn basketball
- Best Championship Performance: Simone Biles
- Best Play: Arizona Cardinals’ Kyler Murray Launches Hail Mary to DeAndre Hopkins
- Best Game: NCAA Men’s Final Four: Gonzaga defeats UCLA 93-90
- Best Breakthrough Athlete: LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets
- Best Athlete, Women’s Sports: Naomi Osaka, Tennis
- Best Record-Breaking Performance: Russell Westbrook, Washington Wizards, breaks Oscar Robertson’s 47-year-old triple-double record with 182
- Best College Athlete, Men’s Sports: DeVonta Smith, Alabama football
- Best NFL Player: Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Best MLB Player: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
- Best NBA Player: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
- Best NHL Player: Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
- Best WNBA Player: Breanna Stewart, Seattle Storm
- Best Athlete, Men’s Golf: Phil Mickelson
- Best Athlete, Women’s Golf: Sei Young Kim
- Best International Athlete, Women’s Soccer: Sam Mewis, Manchester City/USA national team
- Best Driver: Lewis Hamilton, Formula One
- Best International Athlete, Men’s Soccer: Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus/Portugal National Team
- Best Boxer: Tyson Fury
- Best MMA Fighter: Khabib Nurmagomedov
- Best Athlete, Men’s Tennis: Novak Djokovic
- Best Athlete, Women’s Tennis: Naomi Osaka
- Best Athlete, Men’s Action Sports: Gabriel Medina, Surf
- Best Athlete, Women’s Action Sports: Chloe Kim, Snowboard
- 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