A lineup of sports superstars including Dwyane Wade, Tim Howard, Serena Williams, Kevin Durant, Gabby Douglas, Victor Cruz, Carmelo Anthony and more were winners, taking home orange mohawked blimps at Nickelodeon’s inaugural Kids’ Choice Sports 2014, Thursday, July 17, at 8-9:30 p.m. (ET/tape delayed for West Coast). Hosted by Michael Strahan, the awards were broadcast live from UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles where kids honored their favorite athletes, teams and sports moments from the year in one big, slimy sports celebration.
World-renowned athlete David Beckham was presented with Kids’ Choice Sports’ first Legend Award, a gold mohawked blimp, for his incredible talent and outstanding sportsmanship on the field. Adding to his list of accomplishments, Beckham also received the first-ever gold sliming in Kids’ Choice history with his sons Romeo and Cruz.
In a thrilling half-time show filled with music, athleticism and slime, award-winning country stars Florida Georgia Line rewarded fans with a performance medley of their smash hits “Cruise” and “This is How We Roll,” followed by a thorough drenching of the mosh pit. In a live vote during the show, kids decided on the contents–maple syrup, whipped cream or slime–of the giant dunk tanks in the “Verizon Power Dunk” competition. Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald prevailed, dunking Seattle Seahawks defensive back Earl Thomas III in a giant tank of green goo, only to be dunked himself by Strahan. Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler, basketball forward Metta World Peace, and The Haunted Hathaways star Benjamin “Lil’ P-Nut’’ Flores Jr. cheered on 15-year-old Ricardo Jacobo Jr. in the “Kids’ Choice Sports Half-Court Shot Contest” who landed the $50,000 grand prize.
Additional highlights from the sports celebration include: Super Bowl XLVIII champion Marshawn Lynch (Seattle Seahawks) running an epic football play into a pool of slime with a KCS trophy; Will Arnett (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie) and New York Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist going head to head in a hockey shoot-out; a cross-arena football pass by sports trick shot group Dude Perfect; and an exhilarating grand finale featuring multi-Grammy Award-winner Pharrell Williams who performed his chart-topping hit “Happy.”
Orange mohawked blimps were presented to Kevin Durant for Best Male Athlete; Gabby Douglas for Best Female Athlete; Russell Wilson for Favorite Newcomer; Dez Bryant for Favorite Catch; Tim Howard for Best Save; and Serena Williams for Biggest Cannon. Seattle Seahawks fans took the Smells Like Team Spirit Award, while Carmelo Anthony proved he’s at the top of his field by nabbing the Clutch Player of the Year. Highlight reel staples Alex Morgan and Shaun White won for Sickest Moves and the Don’t Try This at Home Award respectively, while Dwyane Wade and Gabby Douglas showed they’re stylin’ on and off the court/field with the King and Queen of Swag blimps. Victor Cruz knows how to Party Like a Sports Star (Best Victory Celebration) and fan-favorite Bethany Hamilton won for Favorite Comeback Athlete.
The star-studded telecast featured additional celebrity participants, including: Will Arnett and Megan Fox (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie), Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant, DJ Fulano, Olympic snowboarder Kelly Clark, Olympic figure skater Gracie Gold, pro skateboarder Tony Hawk, Dwayne Johnson (Hercules), Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin, Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers), George Lopez (Lopez Tonight), professional boxer Floyd Mayweather, Tia Mowry-Hardrict (Instant Mom), Olympic short track speed skater Apolo Ohno, auto racing driver Danica Patrick, professional tennis player Sloane Stephens, Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder), Breanna Yde (The Haunted Hathaways), members of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and many others.
Nickelodeon upped the digital presence of Kids’ Choice Sports 2014, offering content before, during and after the big show on Nick.com, the Nick App on iOS and Android devices, as well as Twitter and Facebook. A live pre-show webcast from the orange carpet offered exclusive access to all the stars and athletes as they arrived for the big event. The Countdown to Kids’ Choice Sports was hosted by WebHeads host Carlos PenaVega, The Thundermans’ Kira Kosarin and Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney. Modeled after a football field, the orange carpet featured a tailgate hang-out area, along with a mini soccer field and basketball hoops for celebrities to get into the spirit of the awards. Coverage during the event included a live photo stream that offered insider access to all the fun in the audience and backstage. Fans can relive their favorite show moments by watching Kids’ Choice Sports video highlights, and flipping through orange carpet, live event and performance photos.
The live broadcast of Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Sports 2014 will encore Friday, July 18, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT). Replays of the awards will also air on Saturday, July 19, at 3:30 p.m. (ET) on Nicktoons and Monday, July 21, at 6:30 p.m. (ET) on TeenNick. Kids’ Choice Sports 2014 will be available on Nickelodeon On Demand beginning Friday, July 18.
To see interviews from the red carpet, click here.
Photo: Kevin Mazur/KCSports2014/WireImage
