ESPY Awards 2016 Results: Analyzing LeBron James, Stephen Curry, More Winners

The 2016 ESPY Awards recognized several distinguished individuals on Wednesday evening at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, celebrating stupendous achievements by world-class athletes.  

Whether it was the best female athletes, the top male athletes in their respective major sports or acknowledgement of some of the best moments and games of the year, Wednesday's festivities were fruitful for a number of big names.

Below is a look at the full results of the most notable awards, followed by analysis on several of the accolades.

Category	Winner
Best Male Athlete	LeBron James
Best Female Athlete	Breanna Stewart
Best Record-Breaking Performance	Stephen Curry
Breakthrough Athlete	Jake Arrieta
Best Male College Athlete	Buddy Hield
Best Female College Athlete	Breanna Stewart
Best Championship Performance	LeBron James
Best NFL Player	Cam Newton
Best Comeback Athlete	Eric Berry
Best Coach	Tyronn Lue
Best International Athlete	Cristiano Ronaldo
Best MLB Player	Bryce Harper
Best NHL Player	Sidney Crosby
Best NBA Player	LeBron James
Best Male Golfer	Jordan Spieth
Best Female Golfer	Lydia Ko
Best Male Tennis Player	Novak Djokovic
Best Female Tennis Player	Serena Williams
Best Driver	Kyle Busch
Best Fighter	Conor McGregor

Marquee Winners Analysis

Most Decorated: LeBron James

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James claimed Best Championship Performance honors for the second year in a row. This time, though, James one-upped himself, rallying the Cavs from 3-1 down in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors to lift the franchise to its first championship.

In addition to helping Cleveland sweep its first two playoff series, James elevated to another stratosphere and bolstered his legend more in the Finals with averages of 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.6 steals and 2.3 blocks.

Coming off a record 73-win season, the Warriors had the Cavs on the ropes, but James was a big reason Cleveland fought back and claimed the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

But James' most defining moment from Wednesday came before the awards portion got underway, when he joined other NBA stars on the stage to speak out against violence, courtesy of Good Morning America:

It was a commendable gesture by James and the other players on stage with him—Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul.

Along with the aforementioned two ESPYs, James deservedly took home Best NBA Player, which Stephen Curry took home the previous year.

The Cavs earned Best Team ESPY, and the Best Moment ESPY went to "Cleveland Wins" because James helped the city snap a major pro sports championship slump that stretched all the way back to 1964. He went onstage with his teammates, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, to accept that award.

Breakthrough Athlete: Jake Arrieta

Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

The Chicago Cubs ace struggled to start his MLB career with the Baltimore Orioles but found new life when he went to the Windy City.

Arrieta came on as a dominant force in 2015, posting a 22-6 record with a 1.77 ERA and 236 strikeouts. He was instrumental in sparking the Cubs to the National League Championship Series and went 2-1 in three playoff starts.

ESPN had an appropriate response to Arrieta's award:

Although he's been in a slump of late, Arrieta is still having a fine season, as are the Cubs, who sit atop the NL Central by seven games amid the All-Star break.

Opting not to pitch in the All-Star Game in the midst of his struggles, the 30-year-old will hopefully be fresh as Chicago tries to snap a World Series title drought that stretches back to 1908.

Quality starting pitching is of optimal importance in the postseason. If Arrieta begins to emulate the form he showed last year and at the start of this season, he should aid at least a few key Cubs victories down the stretch.

Best Comeback Athlete: Eric Berry

Jordan Strauss/Associated Press

After being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in December 2014, the Kansas City Chiefs safety's life was in jeopardy. That didn't stop Berry from being back on the field this past July in training camp.

Good Morning America provided some footage of Berry's acceptance speech:

"You honor the ones that come before you, and you leave a legacy for the ones that come behind you," said Berry, per The Undefeated on Twitter.

Not only did he resume football activities only approximately nine months following his diagnosis, but Berry became a starter again and may have had his best season yet, earning first-team All-Pro honors. He had 61 combined tackles, 10 passes defensed and two interceptions.

Berry was already named the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year for his efforts, so it was of little surprise he was honored with an ESPY as well for his extraordinary return to the gridiron.

Best Record-Breaking Performance: Stephen Curry

Chris Pizzello/Associated Press

Coming into the 2015-16 NBA season, Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry had cemented himself as a truly elite player. Already considered perhaps the best shooter ever, Curry had won league MVP the previous year and capped it off with his first championship.

Instead of resting on his laurels, Curry markedly improved from his prior high standard, collecting a second straight MVP award—the first unanimously in league history—and obliterating his own three-point shooting mark.

After connecting on a record 286 three-point field goals the previous season, the sharpshooting sensation poured in a whopping 402 shots from beyond the arc in 2015-16. He pulled off a rare 50-40-90 season with shooting percentages of .504/.454/.908.

Curry poked a bit of fun at himself for not being better from downtown in his most recent games, saying, per ESPN on Twitter, "I'm going to keep shooting [threes]. Hopefully make a couple more when it matters most."

The only downside to Curry's year was losing in the Finals to the Cavaliers, failing to cap off one of the best individual seasons ever with another title. Much of Golden State's aforementioned 73-win campaign can be traced to Curry's dominance, but he suffered a sprained MCL early in the playoffs and was inconsistent thereafter.

It's hard to imagine he could progress much more than he has. However, Curry has already shown he can obliterate expectations, which is why he walked away with the ESPY on Wednesday night.

With Kevin Durant now on the Warriors, Curry's looks from beyond the arc could be even cleaner—even if he never quite reaches the 402 mark again.