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What Had Happened Was: 7/14/16

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    The 2016 ESPYS – Show
    NBA player LeBron James (L) accepts the Best Male Athlete award from NBA player Dwyane Wade onstage during the 2016 ESPYS at Microsoft Theater on July 13, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. Kevin Winter/Getty Images
    By Ryan Cortes Rhiannon Walker

    GAME. BLOUSES.

    Hope you guys enjoyed watching the 24th annual ESPYS on Wednesday night. LeBron James took home awards for the best male athlete, the best NBA player and his Cleveland Cavaliers won for best championship performance, as well. It was a big night for James. To open the event, James and his friends/fellow NBA players Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul gave an inspiring and important speech (covered below).

    But the moment of the night may have come when Turner Sports sideline reporter Craig Sager, dressed impeccably as always, won the Jimmy V Perseverance Award. Vice President Joe Biden presented the award and, among other things, Sager said, “To everybody out there, we are making progress — incredible progress … We are going to find a cure for cancer. But we need your help.” His 10-minute speech is worth watching in its entirety:

    http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=espn:17063701

    After the moving words ended and the ESPYS went to a break, some fans joined Sager on stage and took photos:

    SOCIAL STATUS

    To highlight the 23 ways that black people have lost their lives recently, the media company Mic teamed up with singers Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Jill Hudson, rappers Chance The Rapper, Pharrell, A$AP Rocky and more in a two-minute social post.

    BLESSINGS!

    Can we just enjoy some Boban Marjanovic and Stan Van Gundy? We can? OK cool.

    FOR THE CULTURE

    Our pals at FiveThirtyEight gave us … another one. This time the folks over there discussed gun violence in America: On average, the U.S. homicide rate for young black men is 73.5 per 100,000. The national average … is less than four.

    South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the only black republican in the Senate and the ninth African-American to serve, gave speech regarding race on the Senate floor. He said he has been pulled over multiple times and questioned by South Carolina Capitol police, as well.

    Carla D. Hayden, leader of the Baltimore public library system, became the first woman and the first African-American to head the Library of Congress.

    Country singer Darius Rucker is apparently still trying to make a rap song. He’d like to do this song with Jay Z and, if all else fails, be someone’s Nate Dogg. Life goals.

    How is an Iraqi town fighting the Islamic State? With football (the universal sport, not the U.S. version).

    Peep this New York Times article on “The Dark Side of American Soccer Culture.”

    TOP THREE TWEETS

    Every morning we’ll hit you here with the best of what we saw on social media the previous night. Why? Why not?

    1. JONES BARBECUE AND FOOT MASSAGE

    2. THAT’S A DOOZY

    3. IT TOOK ONE LOOK

    #ICYMI

    PICTURE PERFECT

    If you missed the opening of the ESPYS on Wednesday night, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James stood shoulder to shoulder and delivered an important statement, calling for an end to violence.

    Ryan Cortes is a staff writer for The Undefeated. Lemon pepper his wings.

    Rhiannon Walker is an associate editor at The Undefeated. She is a drinker of Sassy Cow Creamery chocolate milk, an owner of an extensive Disney VHS collection, and she might have a heart attack if Frank Ocean doesn't drop his second album.

    This Story Tagged: LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers What Had Happened Was ESPYS Stan Van Gundy