{"id":8660,"date":"2026-07-17T13:44:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T08:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=8660"},"modified":"2026-07-17T13:44:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T08:44:00","slug":"at-time100-sports-gala-honorees-toast-to-the-power-of-sport-and-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=8660","title":{"rendered":"At TIME100 Sports Gala, Honorees Toast to the Power of Sport and Support"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<section>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.time.com\/v3\/assets\/bltea6093859af6183b\/blt1564e51e5ba355d7\/6a59beb93411cab1d4a0b096\/LeBron_Sports_Gala_Toast.jpg?branch=production\" \/><figcaption>LeBron James speaks onstage during the TIME100 Sports Gala on July 16, 2026 in New York City. \u2014Jemal Countess\u2014Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<p>Honorees at the inaugural TIME100 Sports Gala gathered in New York City on July 16 to celebrate the powerful influence that sports has on our society.<\/p>\n<p>Guests attended the event to celebrate the <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/collection\/time100-sports\/2026\/\">100 Most Influential People in Sports 2026<\/a>\u2014the first time TIME has put together a list honoring influential athletes, coaches, advocates, and investors in sports.<\/p>\n<p>Five honorees delivered toasts that evening: NBA player <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/collection\/time100-sports\/2026\/lebron-james\/\">Jalen Brunson<\/a>, who in June helped lead the New York Knicks to their first <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/article\/2026\/06\/13\/new-york-knicks-win-championship\/\">championship victory<\/a> in more than 50 years; two-time Olympic gold medalist figure skater <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/collection\/time100-sports\/2026\/alysa-liu\/\">Alysa Liu<\/a>; former U.S. soccer player <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/collection\/time100-sports\/2026\/alex-morgan\/\">Alex Morgan<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/collection\/time100-sports\/2026\/prince-harry\/\">Prince Harry<\/a>, the Duke of Sussex and founder of the Invictus Games; and NBA star <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/collection\/time100-sports\/2026\/lebron-james\/\">LeBron James<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what each of them toasted to.<\/p>\n<h2>Jalen Brunson<\/h2>\n<p>Right off the tail of leading the <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/article\/2026\/06\/13\/new-york-knicks-win-championship\/\">New York Knicks<\/a> to a historic <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/7290874\/nba-finals-okc-thunder-indiana-pacers-matchup\/\">NBA<\/a> championship win\u2014the team\u2019s first since 1973\u2014point guard and finals MVP Brunson toasted to the family that helped prepare him for his moment in the spotlight and inspired him to aspire for greatness.<\/p>\n<p>His mom, he said, has always shown him how to \u201clead with purpose\u201d, while his dad taught him the value of work ethic, \u201cpreparation,\u201d and discipline. His grandparents, his friends\u2014all of these supporters are who help him in the moments of success, he said, but also in the moments of failure.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re the people who celebrate the good memories with me\u2014the good moments\u2014but more importantly, they\u2019re the ones who lift me up when I\u2019m vulnerable, challenge me to be better, and keep me grounded,\u201d Brunson said.<\/p>\n<p>He also thanked his wife, Ali, as his \u201csource of peace and perspective,\u201d and his daughter for reminding him why sports matter \u201cbeyond ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m standing here because so many people believed in me long before the world did. For that, I\u2019ll always be grateful,\u201d he concluded. \u201cHere\u2019s to the people who inspire us, believe in us, and remind us that the journey is always worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Alysa Liu<\/h2>\n<p>Similar to Brunson, <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/7371947\/olympics-2026-milano-cortina-women-figure-skating\/\">figureskater<\/a> Liu thanked the team that helped her prepare for the 2026 Winter Olympics, where she won an individual gold medal\u2014four years after she originally retired from the sport.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wouldn\u2019t love my journey as an athlete as much as I do if it wasn\u2019t for my incredible team,\u201d Liu said. \u201cThey\u2019re really what keep me grounded, keep me mentally and physically stable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Back in February, Liu <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/7362679\/alysa-liu-skating-olympics-2026-interview\/\">told TIME<\/a> that quitting the sport in 2022, at just 16 years old, was one of the best decisions she had ever made, because she felt \u201ctrapped and stuck.\u201d It was her team of advisors and coaches that helped bring her back out of retirement and prepare her to win this past year, she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was so much willpower and dedication put into the past two years I\u2019ve been back in my sport,\u201d Liu said Thursday. \u201cNot just from me, but from my entire team who work tirelessly to make sure my mental &amp; physical health stay strong and steady.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She spoke about how special it is to be an athlete and how much she loved being in a room with other athletes who felt the same way.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat other time can you really push your mind and body to its limits?\u201d she said \u201cI\u2019ve been an athlete for 13 years, not counting my retirement, and what I\u2019ve learned is that it\u2019s so important to trust and value the process.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Alex Morgan<\/h2>\n<p>Morgan toasted to \u201cthe incredible investment in women\u2019s sports that continues to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThroughout my career on the field, I saw what female athletes could accomplish when we spoke up, pushed for more, and demanded what we deserved,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m proud that we\u2019re in a position today where this momentum is still driving us forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She went on to applaud the \u201cunprecedented global investment in new women\u2019s leagues, teams, and events across the sports landscape,\u201d adding that not only does it spur exciting competition, but it also sparks careers, builds communities, and shows \u201cthe next generation that there is a place for them\u2014not only on the field, but in ownership, leadership, media, and every part of the sports industry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, tonight, I toast to the continued growth of investment in women\u2019s sports, so that the next generation of girls around the world can dream even bigger than anyone could imagine,\u201d Morgan said.<\/p>\n<h2>Prince Harry<\/h2>\n<p>During his toast, Prince Harry spoke about how attending the 2013 Warrior Games in Colorado Springs inspired him to start the Invictus Games, a sports competition for wounded veterans.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the arena, sport wasn\u2019t simply rebuilding strength\u2014it was restoring confidence, purpose, identity, and connection,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s when I realized something profound: sport isn\u2019t just entertainment and competition\u2014sport is medicine. It reaches places that surgery cannot, therapies sometimes struggle to, and words often never will.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt challenges the body, focuses the mind, and gives people permission to believe that what once seemed impossible may seem to still be within reach,\u201d he continued. \u201cIt helps whole families heal too. It\u2019s a reminder to all of us that the comeback is better than the setback.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He spoke about how the Invictus Games have grown over the years, bringing together hundreds of competitors from 26 nations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery one of us in this room knows that sport can produce champions,\u201d he said. \u201cBut perhaps that\u2019s not the greatest achievement at all\u2014it\u2019s helping people believe they still have a future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Invictus Movement is a reminder that sport has the power to rebuild, to reconnect, and to redefine what is possible because sport restores the human spirit,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n<p>Prince Harry closed out his toast by acknowledging two Invictus Games competitors in the room. He said those competitors, and all the others who participated in the Invictus Games, embodied \u201cresilience, leadership, and an enduring commitment to their communities and to their country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is the ultimate power of sport: It brings us back to ourselves,\u201d he said. \u201cLong after the medals are won and the records are broken and the crowds have gone home, what remains isn\u2019t the scoreboard; it is the person sport helps us become.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>LeBron James<\/h2>\n<p>The last toast of the night was given by James, who applauded the powerful impact sports has had on so many people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe know what sports has done for every household,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat it does for us, how it brings families together, the inspiration that we continue to give generations before us, that we\u2019ll give generations after us, generations that\u2019s here now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He went on to say that sports is \u201cthe number one thing\u201d that \u201cbrings the world together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The NBA star expressed gratitude for his family and closed out his toast by thanking TIME for the honor and for honoring sports.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just want to say thank you again from the bottom of my heart; it means everything to me,\u201d James said. \u201cWithout sports, I wouldn\u2019t be here. I wouldn\u2019t be able to tell my story. I would not be able to inspire the youth, inspire everybody that\u2019s followed my journey.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section>\n<p><em>The TIME100 Sports Gala was presented by J.P. Morgan, Toyota, Target, The Macallan, and the American Heart Association.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LeBron James speaks onstage during the TIME100 Sports Gala on July 16, 2026 in New York City. \u2014Jemal Countess\u2014Getty Images Honorees at the inaugural TIME100 Sports Gala gathered in New York City on July 16 to celebrate the powerful influence that sports has on our society. Guests attended the event to celebrate the 100 Most&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8661,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.time.com\/v3\/assets\/bltea6093859af6183b\/blt1564e51e5ba355d7\/6a59beb93411cab1d4a0b096\/LeBron_Sports_Gala_Toast.jpg?branch=production","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8660"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8660\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}