Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts will receive the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2013 ESPYs.
Robin worked for the sports network for many years before joining ABC and Good Morning America. In recent years, Roberts has battled cancer and a serious blood disorder, which took her off the air for much of 2012. She triumphantly returned to GMA last month with the blood disorder in remission.
“Robin brings an amazing amount of energy, compassion and determination to everything she does,” said ESPN President John Skipper in a statement, when announcing the award, named for tennis great Arthur Ashe.
Skipper continued that Roberts’ career contributions to the field of journalism and and courage during her recent illness make her worthy of the honor.
“Those qualities made her an incredible asset during her time here at ESPN, and they have served her well as she battled the terrible health challenges that she’s had to face. Robin’s accomplishments in so many areas, as an athlete, a broadcaster, a cancer survivor and more, demonstrate her ability to shine regardless of adversity and we could not be more proud to honor her as the recipient of this year’s Arthur Ashe Courage Award,” he said.
An ESPY is especially fitting for Roberts, as she is a former athlete herself. In college, Roberts played basketball four seasons for Southern Louisiana, and is still among the team’s finest performers. Roberts is only one of three women players in the school’s history to score 1,000 career points and grab 1,000 career rebounds.
After graduating from Southern Louisiana with a degree in communications, this college athletic career helped her land a job with ESPN in 1990. Roberts worked as a sportscaster for the network from 1990 until 2005, when she joined Good Morning America full time as an anchor.
The 2013 ESPYs will take place on July 17 in Los Angeles.
