Cam Newton, Steph Curry and Kyle Busch win at ESPYs

Three athletes with Charlotte connections won big at Wednesday night’s ESPY Awards.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton won the award for Best NFL player after leading the team to a 15-1 record and its second Super Bowl appearance. He didn’t attend the awards show in Los Angeles.

Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry won Best Record-Breaking Performance. The former Charlotte Christian and Davidson guard hit an NBA-record 402 3-pointers this season.

“I’m going to keep shooting threes, hopefully make a couple more when it matters most,” Curry said.

Curry also introduced the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, speaking out about gun violence in the United States.

“Wherever you’re from, whatever you think, whatever your politics are, what you can’t forget is that every once of those people who dies has a story,” he said.

Both Curry and Newton were nominated for Best Male Athlete, but the award ultimately went to NBA champion LeBron James.

NASCAR driver Kyle Busch was named Best Driver, joining Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson, among others, in NASCAR drivers who have won the category eight out of the last 10 years.

This story was originally published July 14, 2016 at 10:07 AM with the headline "Cam Newton, Steph Curry and Kyle Busch win at ESPYs."