Laila Ali Hosts ESPN's 2nd Annual Sports Humanitarian of the Year Awards Tonight

The second annual Sports Humanitarian of the Year Awards, presented by ESPN, will celebrate and honor leagues, teams, individuals and members of the sporting community that are using the power of sport to make a positive impact on society. The sports industry-wide event will be held tonight, July 12 at The Conga Room at L.A. Live, which returns as a sponsor of the event.

Laila Ali will return as host for the event, which will feature a performance by Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Andra Day. Highlights of the evening will be showcased during a 30-minute program on ESPN, July 15, at 7 p.m. ET.

The net proceeds of the event will benefit the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund at The V Foundation. Lilly Oncology, along with other Sports Humanitarian of the Year Awards sponsors, supports the V Foundations' quest to end cancer. Additionally, ESPN will grant a collective total of nearly $800,000 to the charities of the nominees and winners, double the amount awarded last year. In total, more than $1 million will be distributed to the community as a result of the initiative.

During the event, winners will be announced from nominees of four award categories including Sports Humanitarian of the Year, Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year, and two new awards in 2016, the Corporate Community Impact Award and League Humanitarian Leadership Award. Additionally, three Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award honorees will be recognized.

Multiple sports-related leagues and/or governing bodies - including MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL, NHL, USOC, USTA, WNBA and WWE - have nominated athletes, teams and community members who are using the power of sports to transform lives and uplift communities.

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