Big Sean kicked off the finale by presenting Mars with the prestigious honor of the night, and while it may have been his moment to soak in the shine, the entertainer made sure to immediately show love to his team of supporters.
"Let me get started right here with the guys behind me. Come on, fellas. Make your way to the stage. We've come a long way. We used to play bars not too far from here [in] 200 seater rooms," the 31-year-old told the star-studded audience at The Forum. "You've seen these guys in the videos. You've seen them in the Super Bowl. This my family right here. Thank you, fellas. These are the guys that make me wanna be better and be great. I love y'all. I couldn't do it without you."
After sharing gratitude for the inner circle, the pop titan went on to shout out some industry heads, the iHeartRadio family and, most importantly, his Hooligans.
"You guys make me wanna be a better songwriter, a better performer, a better entertainer," he explained. "Innovator is a very heavy word and I'm so honored. It's a little ironic for me because I genuinely feel like I'm just getting started, so buckle up. I don't know where we're going yet, but we going. Keep up, y'all."
Click here for more on our 2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards, including a full of winners and some of the biggest moments of the evening.