The
ESPY Awards will pay tribute to late teenage basketball player Lauren Hill, who battled an inoperable brain tumor to achieve her goal of playing college basketball while helping to raise money for cancer research.
The announcement of the special presentation came amid increasing furor over Hill being passed over for the
Arthur Ashe Courage Award in favor of
Caitlyn Jenner, the new female identity of former Olympic champion Bruce Jenner.
A representative for the ESPYs said the producers of the show had planned to honor Hill all along, but did not announce it until Tuesday. The announcement came in an exclusive report in USA Today, and was not distributed to other media outlets writing about the Jenner controversy.
There has been widespread speculation about an alleged deal between
ABC, which is airing Wednesday's awards, and Jenner for the former Olympian to receive the Ashe award in return for her granting an exclusive interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer to discuss her gender transition. The interview aired in April and was a ratings hit.