LOS ANGELES — Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong was a repeat winner as male athlete of the year, and Connecticut basketball stars Diana Taurasi and Emeka Okafor were also honored Wednesday night at the 12th annual ESPY Awards.
Armstrong is currently attempting to win the Tour de France for the sixth straight time.
Taurasi won the best college female athlete for the second straight year as well as the best female athlete, while Okafor was chosen the best male college athlete. The two led their respective teams to NCAA championships last spring.
For the first time, fans determined the winners in all 36 categories, including the 19 cross-cutter honors that pit athletes from different sports against each other. More than 10 1/2 million votes were cast between June 21 and July 9.
Armstrong was honored as the best male athlete over home run king Barry Bonds, quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, and NBA star Kevin Garnett.
Taurasi was selected over golfer Annika Sorenstam and tennis star Justine Henin-Hardenne in the female athlete of the year category.
The Detroit Pistons, who beat the Los Angeles Lakers in last month's NBA Finals, were picked as the best team over the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, World Series-winning Florida Marlins, Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning and the UConn men's and women's basketball teams.
Detroit's Larry Brown won the best coach/manager award, and the Pistons were the winners in the new best upset category.
Among other winners were Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James, best breakthrough athlete; Masters champion Phil Mickelson, best male golfer and top championship performance; Manning, best NFL player; Garnett, best NBA player; Lauren Jackson, best WNBA player; Antonio Tarver, best boxer; Stewart Elliott, best jockey; Andy Roddick, best male tennis player; Gail Devers, female track and field; and Serena Williams, best female tennis player.
Golfer Tiger Woods, a winner of a record 15 ESPY awards, didn't win one for the first time since 1999. Bonds and Sorenstam rank second all-time with six such awards. Bonds won as best baseball player and Sorenstam as best female golfer.
George Weah, best known for his achievements on the soccer field, received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award for his humanitarian efforts in his war ravaged homeland of Liberia and other African countries.
The Ashe award is traditionally given to an athlete whose contributions transcend sports.
The ceremony was held at the Kodak Theater and will be televised Sunday by ESPN at 9 p.m. (EDT).