#tbt: Jim Valvano's speech from the 1993 ESPY Awards

Last night, Stuart Scott stole the show at the ESPY Awards with the speech he delivered while accepting the Jimmy V Perseverance Award. During his 7 minute

Last night, Stuart Scott stole the show at the ESPY Awards with the speech he delivered while accepting the Jimmy V Perseverance Award. During his 7 minute speech, Scott poignantly discussed his ongoing battle with cancer before sharing a hug with his daughter on stage. The speech was widely (and rightfully) hailed as the best moment from this year's ESPYs, and it called to mind the inspirational words delivered by Jim Valvano at the 1993 awards.

Jimmy V, as he was commonly known, was battling terminal cancer at the time he gave his speech in acceptance of the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian and Courage award. He would pass away two months later.

Stuart Scott's Jimmy V award acceptance speech was the highlight of the ESPYs

There's a good chance that you've watched Valvano's speech in its entirety at some point, but this Throwback Thursday, I wanted to encourage you to watch it again. Hope and context are two very precious commodities, and more than 20 years later, Valvano's words are still as powerful as ever:

"Cancer can take away all of my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart, and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever."


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