LeBron James took home three ESPYS at the 20th Annual ESPY awards on Wednesday night.
The biggest stars from the worlds of sports and entertainment gathered in downtown Los Angeles at the Nokia Theatre on Wednesday to celebrate the best sports stories of the year.
The Miami Heat were the winners of the night, picking up the award for the Best Team, which was voted on live during the show via ESPN.com and Twitter.
LeBron James won for Best Championship Performance, Best NBA Player and Best Male Athlete.
James is the first NBA player to win an ESPY for Best Championship Performance and as MVP in NBA Finals, averaged 28.6 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game and earned his first career championship.
Jeremy Lin took home the ESPY for Best Breakthrough Athlete, while bBest NHL Player went to Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings who, during a magical season for the Kings, allowed just seven goals in six games in Stanley Cup Final finishing the 2012 Playoffs with a 16-4 record, 1.41 goals against average and a .946 save percentage.
Texas Ranger Josh Hamilton won for Best MLB Player and Drew Brees won for Best Record-Breaking Performance for breaking Dan Marino’s single-season record for passing yards. Brees finished the season with 5,476 yards to break Marino’s long-held record of 5,084.
Best Game went to the NFC playoff match-up of the San Francisco 49ers vs. New Orleans Saints, where Alex Smith completed a 14-yard touchdown pass to Vernon Davis with nine seconds left as San Francisco earned a thrilling 36-32 playoff victory.
The Arthur Ashe Courage Award, which recognizes individuals whose contributions transcend sports, was awarded to Pat Summitt, who served for 38 seasons as head basketball coach of the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers, keeping the team among the nation’s elite while changing the way women’s collegiate hoops is perceived and inspiring women across the country. The award, which Peyton Manning presented to Summitt, honored the strength and courage that Summitt displayed during her tenure at UT and in the face of illness.
The Jimmy V Award for Perseverance, in honor of the late Jim Valvano and The V Foundation for Cancer Research, was presented to former Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand.
Other 2012 ESPY winners included Aaron Rodgers (Best NFL Player), Tom Coughlin (Best Coach/Manager) and Diana Taurasi (Best WNBA Player) who took home her third straight ESPY. Matthew Stafford won Best Comeback for returning from a shoulder injury after just three games in 2010 to pass for 5,038 yards and 41 touchdowns this season. Baylor University’s Robert Griffin III and Brittney Griner won Best Male College Athlete and Best Female College Athlete, respectively.
