ESPY Awards 2014 winners and top moments

Sports, teams and athletes were all celebrated at the 2014 ESPY Awards Wednesday night at Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre.

Rapper Drake hosted the annual event, also known as the Excellent in Sports Performance Yearly Awards, which aired on ESPN. He generally earned positive reviews for his first turn hosting the EPSYs.

Tossing in some humor, Drake poked fun about LeBron James' recent announcement to return go to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He also made digs at Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and the United States' recent World Cup games, including U.S. soccer goalie Tim Howard.

"Tim Howard couldn't be here tonight," Drake said. "Too busy getting laid by any woman he chooses."

Drake took on some musical numbers, including a parody dubbed "Honorable Mention" in which he said: "Real talent doesn't always win championships, like real music doesn't always win Grammys," while a picture of Macklemore at the 2014 Grammys showed up on a large screen. Another musical number, "Worst Behavior," called out Sterling's racist comments.

There were some emotional moments, too. SportsCenter anchor Stuart Scott opened up about his battle with cancer during his acceptance speech for the Jimmy V Perseverance Award.

And Michael Sam, the first openly-gay football player to be drafted into the NFL, took home the Artur Ashe Courage Award.

After Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson handed him the honor, Sam said through tears, "This year I had a lot of experience being part of something bigger than myself. At times, I felt like I'd been living in a massive storm...but the lessons learned -- love, respect and being true to yourself -- will never leave me.

See who took home honors below:

Best Breakthrough Athlete: Richard Sherman

Best Moment: U.S. Men's National Soccer Team

Best Game: Iron Bowl

Best Record-Breaking Performance: Peyton Manning

Best Play: Chris Davis

Best Female Athlete: Ronda Rousey

Best Male Athlete: Kevin Durant

Best Team: Seattle Seahawks

Best Upset: Mercer

Best Female Action Sports Athlete: Jamie Anderson

Best Male Action Sports Athlete: Nyjah Houston

Best Female Athlete with a Disability: Jamie Whitmore

Best Male Athlete with a Disability: Declan Farmer

Best Female College Athlete: Breanna Stewart

Best Male College Athlete: Doug McDermott

Best Coach/Manager: Gregg Popovich

Best MLS Player: Tim Cahill

Best NBA Player: Kevin Durant

Best NFL Player: Peyton Manning

Best NHL Player: Sidney Crosby

Best MLB Player: Miguel Cabrera

Best WNBA Player: Maya Moore

Best Female U.S. Olympian: Jamie Anderson

Best Male U.S. Olympian: Sage Kotsenburg

Championship Performance: Kawhi Leonard

Best Bowler: Pete Weber

Best Female Tennis Player: Maria Sharapova

Best Male Tennis Player: Rafael Nadal

Best Comeback Athlete: Russell Westbrook

Best Female Golfer: Michelle Wie

Best Male Golfer: Bubba Watson

Best International Athlete: Cristiano Ronaldo

Best Fighter: Floyd Mayweather

Best Driver: Ryan Hunter-Reay

Best Jockey: Victor Espinoza