Samuel L. Jackson returned for the fourth time as host of the show taped at the Nokia Theatre. He targeted Phelps in his opening monologue.

“You know something special must have happened this year when a swimmer has got as good a seat as Kobe,” Jackson said, noting Phelps’ front-row seat next to his mother Debbie. “You must be glad to be back in the pool, nobody gives you a hard time when you smoke the competition.”

Phelps, his mother and coach Bob Bowman all laughed at the reference to the swimmer being photographed using a marijuana pipe, which resulted in a three-month suspension.

Jackson noted the recent spat between Los Angeles Galaxy teammates David Beckham and Landon Donovan.

“First you beat Spain, then you take Brazil to the brink, then most shocking of all, you call David Beckham an (expletive),” Jackson said as a bemused Donovan looked on.

Jackson took shots at rookie quarterbacks Mark Sanchez and Matthew Stafford, the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.

He told Sanchez: “I admire you for leaving USC so early to go to the NFL. Most people wouldn’t want to take a pay cut like that.”

Jackson encouraged Stafford to “enjoy yourself tonight. Once you actually start playing for the Lions, they stop inviting you.”

The Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers were honored in the best game category for their title win over the Arizona Cardinals. They also won for best play, when Ben Roethlisberger connected with Santonio Holmes for the game-winning touchdown in the closing seconds.

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Former South African president Nelson Mandela received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. His daughter Zindzi Mandela and grandson Zondwa Mandela accepted from presenters Serena and Venus Williams.

The Jimmy V Award for Perseverance went to Northern State men’s basketball coach Don Meyer, who battled cancer after surviving a near-fatal car accident.

“There’s a lot of people who got it a lot tougher than I do,” said Meyer, who uses a walker and wheelchair to get around since his left leg was amputated.

Winners in all but the Jimmy V, Arthur Ashe and comeback categories were determined by online and mobile phone fan voting.

Also on NBCSports.com PFT’s Picks: Patriots will roll, Chargers will survive Circling the Bases: Handicapping the Halladay race College football: What was Yale coaching thinking? Opinion: So far, Nowitzki is NBA’s MVP  |  Fan Ranker Twitter: Follow us @nbc_sports

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