Service, perseverance and community work shared the spotlight with championship success at the 2026 ESPY Awards in New York. Scott Ruskan, a Coast Guard member and former Rider University cross-country runner, received the Pat Tillman Award for Service after helping save 165 people during flooding in Texas the previous July. He stressed that the rescue depended on many participants, not one recipient.

Former major-league pitcher Jim Abbott was honored with the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance. Born without a right hand, Abbott spent ten years in Major League Baseball and used his remarks to describe both feeling different and finding belonging through a team. Olympic figure skater Alyssa Liu, returning after two years away and difficult stretches in the sport, earned Best Breakthrough Athlete following her gold medal.

Stephen Curry received the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award for work through Eat, Learn, Play. The Golden State Warriors star’s organization has supported meals for children and playground development around Oakland. Curry credited those involved and encouraged fellow athletes to use their visibility and voices for tangible local benefit.

At college level, football honors recognized quarterback Fernando Mendoza of Indiana. The basketball selection was UCLA’s Lauren Betts. Betts centered her speech on mental health, arguing that accepting support during hardship underpins achievement. The courage distinction bearing Arthur Ashe’s name went to Jason Collins. Myles Garrett claimed the record-breaking category, while high-school recognition honored Grady Emerson and Maddie DiMaria.

The competitive centerpiece, however, belonged to Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks. Brunson opened the major awards by taking Best Championship Performance, later added Best Athlete in Men’s Sports, then returned with his teammates when New York received the concluding Best Team trophy. He thanked relatives, coaches and teammates during his first appearance.

Those three ovations followed a title run that delivered the Knicks their first NBA championship since 1973. Across each Finals game, Brunson supplied 32.6 points and 2.2 steals, with 4.6 assists and 4.2 rebounds completing his average line. New York went 53-29 beforehand; his regular-season contributions per outing were 26.0 points, 0.8 steals and 6.8 assists.

Marcello Hernandez, known for “Saturday Night Live,” hosted the Wednesday ceremony at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater. Its order allowed Brunson’s individual postseason impact to frame the evening: an early performance award, a later all-sports distinction and a final collective celebration with the champions.

Yet the program extended well beyond trophies for scores and statistics. Abbott and Liu represented resilience; Curry and Ruskan were recognized for humanitarian action and rescue service; Betts spoke openly about psychological wellbeing. Together, those selections made the ceremony a wider account of how athletes can lead, recover, serve and create belonging, while Brunson and the Knicks supplied its dominant championship story.