The biggest stars in sports and entertainment stepped out Wednesday night in Los Angeles at the 17th annual Espy Awards. Although the night was to recognize the biggest sports stories of the year, the red carpet was buzzing about the shocking video of Michael Jackson's accident on the set of a 1984 Pepsi commercial.

"It was really scary," WNBA star Lisa Leslie says. "I knew he was shooting that Pepsi video, and we heard he had gotten a lot of burns on his face. He never looked the same afterward. I love Michael, it was really hard to see him go at such an early age. It's really unfortunate but he's left so many positive memories."

Actor and Espy's host Samuel L. Jackson explains that Michael Jackson's star power defied cultural barriers.

"He was the ultimate performer," he says. "Mike set the bar so high that there are a lot of guys that wish they could become that performer, that big. Micheal's legendary. Michael was a worldwide phenom."

ET also caught up with Michael Phelps, Tony Dovolani, Wyclef Jean, and other stars at the Espy Awards watch the video for more.