Patrick Mahomes was among the big winners at the 2023 ESPY Awards.
Patrick Mahomes - right - and his Kansas City Chiefs co-stars at the ESPYs
The 27-year-old American footballer picked up the Best Athlete in Men's Sports accolade and the Best NFL Player prize at the ceremony at Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre on Wednesday (12.07.23), and he thanked his teammates and coaches for "making [him] look good" during the NFL season, in which he led the Kansas City Chiefs to another Super Bowl win.
Upon accepting the Best Athlete prize, Mahomes - who has daughter Sterling, two, and seven-month-old son Patrick, who he calls Bronze, with his wife Brittany - told the ESPYs crowd: "It was an incredible season, many ups, many downs.
"I have to thank my teammates, my coaches, basically just making me look good. I'm the quarterback, I just throw the ball and they make it all work.
"I appreciate my teammates, my coaches, the guys that are here.
"I have to thank my family; Brittany, Bronze and Sterling. I'm glad that all that hard work is paying off. they're making me the guy that I am, the man that I am, so I want to thank them.
"And finally, Chiefs Kingdom. Chiefs Kingdom, I truly believe, is the best fan base in the world. We're going to do this thing again, we're going to keep this thing rolling. I appreciate all y'all."
Two-time Super Bowl winner Mahomes was also celebrating when the Chiefs won the Best Team gong at the ESPYs.
Soccer star Lionel Messi was also a big winner on the night, winning the Best Championship Performance prize, for inspiring Argentina to World Cup glory last year, and he also scooped the Best Soccer Player accolade.
Ski star Mikaela Shiffrin was named the Best Athlete in Women’s Sports, and Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić landed the Best NBA Player award.
Other big winners included Scottie Scheffler taking home the Best Golfer prize, and Novak Djokovic - who is currently competing to win his eighth Wimbledon title - won Best Tennis Player.
2023 ESPY Awards Winners:
Best Athlete, Men’s Sports
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Best Athlete, Women’s Sports
Mikaela Shiffrin, Ski
Best Breakthrough Athlete
Angel Reese, LSU Women’s Basketball
Best Record-Breaking Performance
LeBron James surpasses Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for NBA career scoring record
Best Championship Performance
Lionel Messi, Argentina – World Cup Final
Best Comeback Athlete
Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
Best Play
Justin Jefferson with the Catch of the Century
Best Team
Kansas City Chiefs
Best College Athlete, Men’s Sports
Caleb Williams, USC Football
Best College Athlete, Women’s Sports
Caitlin Clark, Iowa Women’s Basketball
Best Athlete with a Disability
Zach Miller, Snowboarding
Best NFL Player
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Best MLB Player
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
Best NHL Player
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Best NBA Player
Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
Best WNBA Player
A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Best Driver
Max Verstappen, F1
Best UFC Fighter
Jon Jones
Best Boxer
Claressa Shields
Best Soccer Player
Lionel Messi, Argentina/PSG
Best Golfer
Scottie Scheffler
Best Tennis Player
Novak Djokovic
Special Awards
Jimmy V Award for Perseverance
Liam Hendriks
Arthur Ashe Award for Courage
U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team
Pat Tillman Award for Service
Buffalo Bills Training Staff
Sports Humanitarian Awards
Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award
Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee Bucks) and Lauren Holiday (retired U.S. Women’s National Team)
Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award
Jordan Adeyemi, Ashley Badis, Rishan Patel
Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year
San Antonio Spurs
Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award
Dr. Richard Lapchick
Tagged in Novak Djokovic Lionel Messi