In a night largely comprised of celebratory fluff, Robin Roberts' acceptance speech after receiving the Arthur Ashe Courage Award provided one of the emotional highpoints to The ESPYS.
A pioneer in sports broadcasting, Roberts worked at ESPN for 15 years before moving to ABC's "Good Morning America." In 2007, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent treatment. In 2012, she was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome -- a side effect from her cancer treatment -- and needed a bone marrow transplant to survive. The surgery was successful.
At the award show, Roberts delivered a moving speech or her own and discussed how she was backstage when Jimmy Valvano gave his emotional speech upon winning the inaugural Arthur Ashe Courage Award in 1993.
"I've been blessed to achieve things in life I could never have imagined as that little girl growing up in Mississippi," Roberts said. "But most of all, I never imagined that I'd be able to be standing here 20 years after Jimmy V's speech and say that because of everyone who has responded to his challenge, because of all the donations, research and support, mine is one of the lives that's been saved."
Watch Roberts' speech above and check out ESPN's montage of her life below.
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