Manny Pacquiao wins Best Fighter award at 2011 ESPY Awards
Each summer, the annual ESPY Awards take place in LA to honor the coolest & best star athletes and memorable moments from the past year.
Begun by cable sports channel ESPN in 1993, the annual ESPY Awards allows sports fans worldwide to join in an online vote for their favorites in such categories as Best Male Athlete, Best Female Athlete, Best Coach/Manager, and Team of the Year.
Unlike most awards shows, the ESPYs are probably most noted for its contribution to charity, as a portion of the proceeds is donated to The V Foundation, named for its founder, Jim Valvano.
The Arthur Ashe Courage Award is another ESPY highlight, honoring an individual for their personal courage or charitable works outside the sports arena, with past winners including such trailblazers as Muhammad Ali and tennis star Billie Jean King.
This year our very own Manny Pacquiao wins the Best Fighter.
The Dallas Mavericks made a haul at the ESPYs on Wednesday.
The NBA champions won best team, Dirk Nowitzki won Best Male Athlete and Best NBA Player and Rick Carlisle won best Coach/Manager.
The NBA starpower didn't end there as Blake Griffin won the ESPY for Breakthrough Athlete.
Griffin, the NBA's rookie of the year, filled highlight reels with his assortment of spectacular dunks. He averaged 22.5 points and 12.1 rebounds per game and became the first rookie to appear in an NBA All-Star Game since Yao Ming in 2003.
Fan voting determined the winner of the ESPY for Best Play, and it turned out to be Abby Wambach of the U.S. soccer team for her overtime goal that tied Brazil in the quarterfinals of the Women's World Cup. The Americans advanced on penalty kicks and, after Wednesday's win over France, will play Japan in Sunday's final.
The Arthur Ashe Award for Courage will be presented as well, to Dewey Bozella, who was sent to prison in 1983 for a murder he did not commit but won his release in 2009.
Other winners at the ESPYs:
• For Best Championship Performance, goalie Tim Thomas of the Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins. Thomas stopped 238 of Vancouver's 246 shots as Boston won the Cup in seven games.
• As Best Female Athlete, reigning Olympic downhill champion and three-time overall World Cup ski champion Lindsey Vonn.
• As Best Male College Athlete, BYU's Jimmer Fredette, who led the nation in scoring as a senior at 28.5 points per game. Fredette was drafted ninth by the Charlotte Bobcats, who then traded his rights to the Sacramento Kings.
• The recipient of the Jimmy V Award was NCAA wrestling champion Anthony Robles of Arizona State.
• As Best Game, the Philadelphia Eagles' 38-31 victory over the New York Giants. In a stunning turn of events in the December game at New Meadowlands Stadium, the Eagles scored 28 points in the final 7 minutes, 18 seconds to take over first place from the Giants in the NFC East.
• As Best Upset, the VCU men's basketball team. VCU defeated heavily favored Kansas 71-61 to reach the Final Four in April.
• As Best NFL Player, Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers.
"I'm very happy to win but I would really like to focus on us as a team," the quarterback said. "I was brought up to be humble and that's how I live my life. I'm glad I won but I didn't do it alone."
• As Best MLB Player, pitcher Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies. Halladay also won the ESPY for Best Moment.
• As Best Driver, five-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson.
• As Best WNBA Player, Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury.
• As Best Fighter, Manny Pacquiao.
• As Best Male Golfer, U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy. He also won for Best Record-Breaking Performance.
• As Best Female Golfer, Cristie Kerr.
• As Best Male Tennis Player, Rafael Nadal. As Best Female Tennis Player, Serena Williams.
• As Best Female College Athlete, Maya Moore of Connecticut.
• As Best Male Action Sport Athlete, Shaun White.
• As Best Female Action Sport Athlete, Stephanie Gilmore.
• As Best Jockey, John Velasquez.
• As Best Male Athlete with a Disability, Arizona State wrestler Anthony Robles.
• As Best Female Athlete with a Disability, swimmer Mallory Weggemann.
• As Best Bowler, Jason Belmonte.
• As Best MLS Player, Landon Donovan.
• As Best Track and Field Athlete, sprinter Tyson Gay.
• As Best Comeback, former Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich.
• As Castrol EDGE NFL Strongest Performance, Arian Foster of the Houston Texans.
• As Capital One Cup, Stanford women's athletics and Florida men's athletics.
• As Best Sports Movie, "The Fighter".
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