Nneka Ogwumike, Stephen Curry and Skylar Diggins-Smith
, The Canadian Press
The 2022 ESPYs, hosted by Stephen Curry, brought together many memorable moments, from subtle and not-so-subtle roasts to powerful messages that are bigger than sports; here are some of the best moments from this year's ESPYs.
Steph Curry’s opening monologue
The opening monologue of any show sets the stage for what to expect; if it’s not funny, things can go south quickly. Fortunately for Curry, his opening monologue balanced prideful moments and comical roasts.
Curry was sure to acknowledge the home base of this year’s award show: Los Angeles, by praising the LA Rams and dissing the LA Lakers. He even threw some shade at the Boston Celtics — seems fair to say they aren’t popular in LA? Wearing a pale green suit and a drink in hand, Curry nailed the comedic timing on all his jokes. He even took a minute to relish his successes from his most recent NBA season. Too bad it might be overshadowed by Draymond Green’s podcast, something he mentioned he’s already familiar with.
Support for Brittney Griner
While the ESPYs is usually all about the laughs, a handful of athletes took the time to shed light on Britney Griner’s wrongful detainment in Russia. As Curry announced the WNBA as the Sports Humanitarian League of the Year, he, along with WNBA players Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith, acknowledged Griner should also be at the award show, celebrating along with the rest of the world’s best athletes. The three athletes on stage shared that the global sports world must keep sharing Griner’s story. They ended the monologue with the words, “We are BG.”
After winning Best Play for her corner kick goal during the 2020 Summer Olympics, Megan Rapinoe also used her acceptance speech to call on athletes to continuously show their support for Griner on social media and in interviews. Rapinoe added that the global sports world loves and misses Griner, and is doing all they can for her release.
Title IX 50th anniversary tribute
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