LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Lakers won the ESPY for the Best Team, but LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers was named the NBA's Best Player at the 17th annual awards ceremony Wednesday at the Nokia Theater L.A. Live.
The show, hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, will be televised on ESPN and ESPN HD on Sunday, starting at 9 p.m. ET.
Kobe Bryant and the Lakers beat the Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals for the franchise's 15th championship. James averaged 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists last season and took the Cavaliers to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson won his third ESPY as Best Coach/Manager, giving the NBA champs a pair of awards.
James was named the Best NBA Player, but the Best Male Athlete award went to Olympic champion swimmer Michael Phelps. That ended a five-year winning streak for golfer Tiger Woods.
Phelps, who won eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, was also honored as the Best U.S. Olympian and for having the Best Championship Performance.
Woods, named the Best Golfer, picked up his 22nd ESPY, the most in the history of the awards. It was his fifth straight Best Golfer award. Best Male Action Sport Athlete Shaun White also won for a fifth straight time.
The Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers won two trophies -- for Best Game and Best Play, which honored the Ben Roethlisberger-to-Santonio Holmes last-minute touchdown catch as the Steelers edged the Arizona Cardinals.
Even though the Cardinals lost the Super Bowl, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald did win the Best NFL Player award.
Sidney Crosby won an award for his role on the NHL champion Pittsburgh Penguins, taking home the Best NHL Player award.
Albert Pujols, who leads the major leagues in home runs and RBIs, was named the Best Baseball Player.
Gymnast Nastia Liukin was named the Best Female Athlete. Usain Bolt of Jamaica was honored as the Best International Athlete. Bolt set a world record of 9.69 in the 100 meters at the Beijing Olympics.
Another Olympian, swimmer Dara Torres, was honored with a special ESPY award for the Best Comeback, while the U.S. men's 4x100-meter freestyle relay team won the Best Moment award for Jason Lezak's late sprint to edge France.
Golfer Lorena Ochoa won two awards, as Best Female Golfer and Best International Female Athlete.
The Arthur Ashe Courage Award went to Nelson Mandela. Don Meyer, the basketball coach at Northern State University who has battled cancer and a serious car accident, was given the Jimmy V ESPY for Perseverance.