John Cena happily flashes a smile alongside SI Kids SportsKid of the Year honoree Leah Hayes while attending the Sports Illustrated 2018 Sportsperson of the Year Awards Show held on Tuesday (December 11) at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.
The 41-year-old pro wrestler and actor was also joined at the event by host Joel McHale, Camille Kostek, Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, Ike Barinholtz, Performer of the Year award recipient Aaron Donald and Inspiration of the Year award recipient Rachael Denhollander.
Ike hit the stage to honor John with the SI Muhammad Ali Legacy Award for his dedicated philanthropic work with the Make-A-Wish foundation for granting nearly 600 wishes over the years.
John reminded all to “never give up” during his acceptance speech, “it’s such an honor to be mentioned in the same sentence as Muhammad Ali. I love what I do and I do what I love, this is a tremendous honor.”
Tune in to NBCSN on Thursday, December 13 at 9pm ET to watch the one hour Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year Awards special.