2019 ESPYS: Tracy Morgan Hosts One of the Biggest Nights in Sports
Tracy Morgan will be joined by top celebrities from sports and entertainment to commemorate the past year in sports by recognizing major sports achievements, reliving unforgettable moments, and saluting the leading performers and performances. The 2019 ESPYS will be broadcast live from Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on ABC, Wednesday, July 10.
“I am very excited to be hosting The ESPYS,” said Morgan. “I hope my Uncle Sidney Poitier is there with my biological father Tony Dorsett and my second cousin Herschel Walker. And Bo Jackson, I want my $2 back!”
Serena Williams, Kevin Durant, Tiger Woods, and Simone Biles are among the star athletes nominated for 2019 ESPYS.
(Photo: Paul Mobley)
Nominees in the best male athlete category include Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and golfer Brooks Koepka.
Nominees in the best female athlete category include Breanna Stewart of the Seattle Storm, gymnast Simone Biles, USWNT member Alex Morgan, and skiier Mikaela Shiffrin.
Rob Mendez and ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro (Photo: Melissa Rawlins / ESPN Images)
During the event, high school football coach Rob Mendez will be honored with the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance. The award is given to a deserving member of the sporting world who has overcome great obstacles through perseverance and determination.
Mendez was born with tetra-amelia syndrome, a rare disorder that caused him to be born without arms or legs.
Kirstie Ennis (Photo: Marissa Boucher)
The Pat Tillman Award for Service will be presented to Former U.S. Marine Kirstie Ennis. While on duty in Afghanistan, Kirstie Ennis was in a helicopter crash in an active combat zone that resulted in severe injuries including facial trauma, a traumatic brain injury, cervical and lumbar spine trauma, and bilateral shoulder damage. Following more than a dozen surgeries, doctors decided to amputate above the knee on her left leg.
Having been an athlete for most of her life, Ennis turned to sports as part of her recovery. She founded the Kirstie Ennis Foundation to provide education and opportunity in the outdoors and to support other non-profits dedicated to improving the quality of life of individuals and families.
Bill Russell (Photo: Icon Sportswire/AP Photo)
Boston Celtics Hall of Fame center Bill Russell will be receiving the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, for his many years of championing Civil rights and battling discrimination.
The ESPYS helps to raise awareness and funds for the V Foundation for Cancer Research, the charity founded by ESPN and the late basketball coach Jim Valvano at the first ESPYS back in 1993. ESPN has helped raise close to $97 million for the V Foundation over the past 26 years.
The 2019 ESPYS Presented by Capital One, Wednesday, July 10, 8/7c, ABC
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