Patrick Mahomes has a message for Chiefs fans after winning second ESPY award
Nearly two hours before the ESPY Awards ceremony began, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes learned he wouldn’t be going home empty-handed.
Mahomes is up for a pair of ESPYs, and ESPN announced during “NFL Live” that he won the Best NFL Player award.
The win wasn’t a surprise, because Mahomes was the NFL’s Most Valuable Player last season. He beat out 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson for the ESPY.
When the ceremony started, Mahomes won the Best Male Athlete ESPY, beating out the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and Argentina soccer star Lionel Messi.
“I remember growing 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,” Mahomes said at the ceremony in Los Angeles. “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. There’s many ups and downs. I just want to thank my teammates and coaches for basically just making me look good, honestly. Because I’m quarterback, I’ve just got to throw the ball and make guys like Trav (Kelce) work. So I appreciate my teammates, my coaches, 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 are supporting me and making me the guy that I am, the man that I am. So I want to thank them.”
Mahomes then had a message for Chiefs fans.
“And finally, Chiefs Kingdom. Chiefs Kingdom, I truly believe is the best fan base in the world,” he said. “Sorry to all the athletes out here. And I start back next week. I go back to (training) camp next Tuesday. So this is a great award. But we’re gonna do this thing again. We’re gonna keep this thing rolling. I appreciate all y’all.”
Kelce presented an award to the comeback player of the year (Nuggets star Jamal Murray). Kelce was joined on stage by “Big Slick” co-host and ”Saturday Night Live” star Heidi Gardner in presenting the award.
The night ended on high note for the Chiefs, who won the Best Team ESPY Award. Chris Jones and Isiah Pacheco joined Kelce and Mahomes on stage in accepting the award.
The other finalists were the Oklahoma Sooners softball team, the LSU Tigers women’s basketball team, the Denver Nuggets, the Georgia Bulldogs football team, the Las Vegas Aces and the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
This story was originally published July 12, 2023 at 4:56 PM.
