Dawn Staley and Prince Harry received prestigious awards at the 2024 ESPYS on Thursday night at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Hosted by Serena Williams, the event celebrated achievements in sports and recognized contributions to social causes and perseverance.
Prince Harry was awarded the Pat Tillman Award for Service. He was recognized for his military service in Britain and for founding the Invictus Games, which support wounded veterans. During his acceptance speech, he said, “This award belongs to them, not to me.” Despite criticisms from Mary Tillman about ESPN’s choice, Harry expressed his gratitude towards Tillman’s widow, Marie.
Dawn Staley received the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance for her dedicated advocacy in cancer research and equality in women’s sports. Inspired by her friend Nikki McCray-Penson and her sister’s battle with cancer, she remarked, “I must confess I feel a little undeserving of this recognition… I have merely been a spectator to such immense courage and resilience.”
Steve Gleason was honored with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage due to his activism following an ALS diagnosis and his work through Team Gleason. Accepting his award, Gleason commented that it represents “encouragement and triumph” for all families living with ALS.
The ceremony also recognized other athletes like Simone Biles who won Best Comeback Athlete after prioritizing her mental health during the Tokyo Games team competition. A’ja Wilson won awards for Best Women’s Sports Athlete and Best WNBA Player. She shared during her acceptance speech: “It’s crazy to think that a young girl that didn’t even want to play basketball is now up in the running for even one ESPY.”
Breakthrough athlete honors went to JuJu Watkins who expressed her appreciation for pioneering women in sports as she accepted her award: “I want to thank all the great, powerful women who came before me that made this possible.” Caitlin Clark was celebrated as well with awards highlighting her NCAA scoring records.
Despite technical issues during the broadcast which saw a repeat of final minutes and presentations on ABC telecast affecting East and Central time zones – later corrected for West – Serena Williams maintained high spirits throughout as host, jokingly noting any chance to change into multiple outfits was welcome.
The ESPYS continues to be a significant event not just in sports achievement but also recognizing impactful societal contributions by athletes across different fields. The honor roll from the event spans significant efforts ranging from mental health advocacy to humanitarian work around disabilities.
