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Patrick Mahomes swept both of his individual ESPY Award nominations on Wednesday night, taking home the title of “Best Male Athlete of the Year” during the ceremony’s second presentation after it was announced that he would win the “Best NFL Player” earlier in the afternoon.
In a category that featured Nikola Jokic, Aaron Judge, and Lionel Messi, the Kansas City Chiefs star emerged victorious after his Super Bowl campaign in 2023 lifted him over the other contenders. Hip-hop artist Quavo and actor Paul Walter Hauser presented the award to Mahomes, and he immediately approached the podium to give his acceptance speech.
“I’ve grown up watching the ESPYS and seeing a lot of great athletes win awards, and to be on this stage winning this award is a tremendous honor,” he told the audience. “But it all wouldn’t be possible without God. So I want to thank him first. I truly believe that it was an incredible season.”
He took time to explain that his road to win the award was not easy, and recounted the aversity that he overcame during the Chiefs’ latest championship campaign with the help of his comrades on Kansas City’s roster.
Said Mahomes: “There are many ups and many downs as well. Thank my teammates and coaches for basically just making me look good, honestly, because, you know, I’m a quarterback; I just got to throw the ball. I let guys like Trav [Travis Kelce] work.So [I] appreciate my teammates, my coaches, and the guys that are here. I want to thank my family. Brittany, Bronze, Sterling.
“I’m glad that all that hard work is paying off. And when I’m not in the building, you’re supporting me and making me the guy that I am, the man that I am. So I want to thank them. And finally, Chiefs Kingdom, I truly believe, is the best fan base in the world, sorted all the athletes out here. Man. I started betting next week. I go back to camp next Tuesday. So this is a great award. But we’re gonna do this thing again. We’ll keep this thing rolling. Appreciate all y’all.”
Mahomes will have to wait to see if he and the Chiefs will win yet another accolade later in the ceremony when the award for “Best Team” is announced.