Stephen Curry adds ESPY Awards show host to his ever-growing resume.
For the very first time, the 2022 NBA Finals MVP took the mic to host the 29th annual ESPY Awards at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Curry joined LeBron James as the only two NBA players to host the annual Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly awards show.
In his opening monologue, the 2022 NBA champion dropped a number of sports jokes and references, poking fun at athletes including seven-time NFL champion Tom Brady and Boston Celtics’ forward Grant Williams.
Aside from Curry’s inaugural hosting act, it was a big night for the Warriors, who took home four ESPY awards including Best Team.
Curry’s night tipped off strong, in addition to his hosting responsibilities, the Dubs guard was awarded Best NBA Player in an untelevised portion of the 2022 ESPYs. During this past season, Curry received a number of distinguished recognitions, becoming the all-time 3-Point leader, 2022 NBA All-Star MVP, Western Conference Finals MVP, NBA Finals MVP and 2022 NBA Champion. In addition, Curry was also named a member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.
Curry collected another ESPY for Best Record-Breaking Performance for splashing his 2,974th 3-pointer at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 14, 2021 and surpassing Hall of Famer Ray Allen as the NBA’s all-time 3-point leader.
The reigning 3-point king concluded his acceptance speech with a humble sentiment, sharing, “All records are meant to be broken,” and encouraged others to continue to pursue excellence.
Curry continued, “I can’t wait to be in the arena when you break this record.” The 2022 NBA champion has set the mark for most 3-pointers made in league history and became the first player to make at least 150 3-pointers in the NBA Finals.
Klay Thompson was named Best Comeback Athlete at the 2022 ESPY Awards following his triumphant return to NBA action, after suffering back-to-back injuries that resulted in a 941-day hiatus. Thompson not only returned to game play but recorded a 2021-22 season-high 41 points in the regular season finale before making numerous contributions to the team’s 2022 Championship run.
During his acceptance speech, Thompson thanked the late Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gigi, and entire Bryant family, stating, “I read Mamba Mentality every day during rehab and those are the best memories of my life watching him (Kobe) play. He inspired me to be the athlete I am today.”
In addition to reigning as NBA champions, the Warriors were named Best Team at the 2022 ESPY awards.
Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and former Dub Juan Toscano-Anderson joined Curry on stage to accept the team award.
In between taking home the hardware, the Dubs kept the fun going, with Green poking fun at his popular podcast in the midst of Curry’s inaugural hosting appearance.
Curry concluded the evening just how he closed out the 2022 postseason, with his signature ‘Night, Night’ exit.
Green gave his stamp of approval after the event, stating, “The ESPYs were incredible. Our host was the best I’ve ever seen, ran the best show I’ve ever seen and it was definitely an honor to be here, an honor to take an award.”
The 2022 ESPY Awards was undoubtedly a successful night for the Warriors, as the squad took home four awards and Curry proved his talent has endless range.