The SI Awards will feature an all-star cast of hosts including champion Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, NFL legend Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson, former NBA and current NBA commentator Richard Jefferson, and sports TV personality Cari Champion. The most prestigious evening in sports – The Sports Illustrated Awards is a special live broadcast honoring The Sportsperson of The Year Winners and awarding some of the most disruptive and courageous athletes in the world. Tune in December 19th to crown the winners live and be a part of history!
Lindsey Vonn
Lindsey Vonn is the most decorated American ski racer in history and is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time.
Lindsey burst onto the international skiing scene in 1999 at the age of 14 and has since captivated the world with her perseverance and superhuman abilities on the slopes. She’s won four World Cup overall championships—one of only two female skiers to do so with three consecutive titles in 2008, 2009, and 2010, plus another in 2012. Lindsey won the gold medal in downhill at the 2010 Winter Olympics, the first one for an American woman. She also won a record 8 World Cup season titles in the downhill discipline (2008–2013, 2015, 2016), 5 titles in super-G (2009–2012, 2015), and 3 consecutive titles in the combined (2010– 2012). In 2016, she won her 20th World Cup crystal globe title, the overall record for men or women. Her total of 82 World Cup victories is a women’s record.
She is also a New York Times Bestselling author for her 2016 debut novel Strong Is the New Beautiful: Embrace Your Natural Beauty, Eat Clean, and Harness Your Power and has served as an International Games Ambassador in the 2018 Winter Olympics and is also the founder of the Lindsey Vonn Foundation, which supports girls through scholarships, education and athletics.
In February 2019, Lindsey announced her retirement from ski racing and that same year commemorated her final season with the release of her HBO documentary “Lindsey Vonn: The Final Season.” Since her retirement, Lindsey has launched a production company, Après Productions, seeking to chronicle stories of sport, women and determination. And as an extra thrill, she added the title of “Host” to her resume with the premiere of the Amazon Prime Video show The Pack where Lindsey and her dog, Lucy, host a global family-friendly reality competition series.
Chad “Ochocinco’ Johnson
Born in Miami, FL, former NFL great, Chad Johnson, played 11 seasons in the league at the wide receiver position. After being selected 36th overall in the 2001 NFL draft, Johnson began his career in Cincinnati, where football fans all around the world quickly fell in love with his personality. Johnson became a six time Pro-Bowler and four time All-Pro selection. He currently is a host on the I AM ATHLETE Podcast.
Richard Jefferson
With over 17 years in the league, Richard Jefferson was a versatile defender and a veteran presence in the locker room. His jolt of energy helped the Cleveland Cavaliers win the NBA Championship back in 2016, which reversed the city’s 52-year sports curse. Jefferson is currently an NBA analyst and host for his wildly popular podcast Road Trippin’
CARI CHAMPION
Cari Champion is a broadcast journalist and television personality based in Los Angeles. Champion made history with her move to Vice TV for her show “Cari & Jemele: Stick to Sports,” along with co-host Jemele Hill, as the first Black women to host a late-night cable news and information show. Champion also currently hosts the “NFL Next Live” Thursday Night Football live stream for Amazon, airing exclusively on Twitch, alongside former NFL wide-receiver, Andrew Hawkins. In addition to her work at Vice and Amazon, she currently hosts TNT’s studio show, “The Arena”, a new in-depth storytelling franchise created to provide a thought-provoking forum for content on topics occurring on and off the NBA court of play. The show’s format intertwines impactful features with conversations from some of the most popular voices in sports. In addition, Champion recently returned as co-host for Season 2 of NBC’s reality competition series, “The Titan Games”, created and presented by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Champion previously served as anchor and host at ESPN where she spent nearly a decade in roles that included co-hosting SportsCenter Coast to Coast, host of SportsNation, and moderator of ESPN’s popular debate talk show, First Take. She also hosted a popular ESPNw podcast, Be Honest with Cari Champion. Before joining ESPN, Champion served as an anchor and courtside reporter for the Tennis Channel. She continues to break barriers, paving the way for younger women of color who want to pursue a career in sports television and other areas within broadcasting.