Los Angeles, CA -Ā 

Lil Wayne opened the 2023 ESPY Awards this week with a performance of his hit single ā€œA Milliā€ ā€” but with a twist.

The Young Money rapper took to the stage at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on Wednesday night (July 12) to perform his classic 2008 Tha Carter III cut.

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Instead of reciting all the original lyrics, though, Lil Wayne decided to put a fresh, sports-themed spin on the song while wearing Marc Jacobs x Dr. Martens boots.

Weezy name-dropped LSUā€™s Angel Reese, Buffalo Billsā€™ Damar Hamlin, the NBAā€™s most recent No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama, Super Bowl champion Deion Sanders and NBA legend Dennis Rodman.

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ā€œThank you,ā€ Lil Wayne said following a roar from the audience. ā€œWelcome to the 2023 ESPYs. Thank you for your time, I appreciate you.ā€

The crowd was full of famous faces from both sports and music including Quavo, 2 Chainz and Mike Tyson.

Some of the nightā€™s big winners included Nikola Jokic winning Best NBA Player, the Kansas City Chiefs winning Best Team and Aā€™ja Wilson winning Best WNBA Player.

Elsewhere, Patrick Mahomes took home Best NFL Player, Shohei Ohtani was named Best MLB Player, Connor McDavid claimed Best NHL Player, Jon Jones was crowned Best UFC Fighter and Lionel Messi scored Best Soccer Player.

Lil Wayne Stopped Writing Down Lyrics Because Of JAY-Z
Lil Wayne Stopped Writing Down Lyrics Because Of JAY-Z

LeBron James accepted an award for the Best Record-Breaking Performance after becoming the NBAā€™s all-time leading points scorer earlier this year. During his acceptance speech, he announced he wonā€™t be retiring ahead of the upcoming season.

ā€œI donā€™t care how many more points I score or what I can or cannot do on the floor,ā€ he said. ā€œThe real question for me is: can I play without cheating this game? The day I canā€™t give everything on the floor is the day Iā€™ll be done. Lucky for you guys, that day is not today.ā€

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James previously hinted at retirement by saying he had ā€œa lot to think aboutā€ after his Los Angeles Lakers were swept by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.

ā€œWeā€™ll see, weā€™ll see what happens going forward,ā€ he told reporters. ā€œI donā€™t know. Iā€™ve got a lot to think about, to be honest. Just for me, going forward with the game of basketball, Iā€™ve got a lot to think about. Appreciate it.ā€