ESPN announced the nominees for The 2025 ESPYS Presented by Capital One, hosted by Shane Gillis, and fan voting is now open. Voting for all categories will close at 5 PM ET on July 16, just prior to the start of The 2025 ESPYS.

Top celebrities from sports and entertainment will gather to recognize nominees and honor winners in categories such as “Best Athlete – Men’s Sports,” “Best Athlete – Women’s Sports,” “Best Breakthrough Athlete,” “Best Record Breaking Performance,” “Best Championship Performance,” and “Best Comeback Athlete.”

Per tradition, The 2025 ESPYS will also showcase the achievements of inspiring and courageous athletes who embody the spirit of The ESPYS through three pillar awards – the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance, and The Pat Tillman Award for Service. Honorees for each of these awards will be announced in the coming weeks. The show supports ESPN’s ongoing commitment to The V Foundation for Cancer Research, launched in 1993 by ESPN in partnership with the late Jim Valvano.

BEST ATHLETE – MEN’S SPORTS‬

• ‬‭Josh Allen – Buffalo Bills‬
• ‬‭Saquon Barkley – Philadelphia Eagles‬
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder‬
• ‬‭Shohei Ohtani – Los Angeles Dodgers‬

‭ BEST ATHLETE – WOMEN’S SPORTS‬

• ‭Simone Biles – Gymnast‬
• Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone – Track & Field‬
• Gabby Thomas – Track & Field‬
• ‭A’ja Wilson – Las Vegas Aces‬

BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE‬

• ‭Cooper Flagg – Duke Men’s Basketball‬
• Chloe Humphrey – North Carolina Women’s Lacrosse‬
• Ilona Maher – Rugby‬
• ‭Paul Skenes – Pittsburgh Pirates‬

BEST RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE‬

• ‭Geno Auriemma – UConn Huskies
• ‬Caitlin Clark – Indiana Fever
• Kevin Durant – Olympic Basketball
• Alexander Ovechkin – Washington Capitals

‭BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE‬

• ‭Simone Biles – 2024 Olympics Women’s All-Around‬
• Stephen Curry – US Men’s Olympic BB team‬
• Freddie Freeman – LA Dodgers – World Series MVP‬
• Rory McIlroy – Wins first Masters title, completing career Grand Slam‬

BEST COMEBACK ATHLETE‬

• ‭Gabe Landeskog – Colorado Avalanche‬
• Suni Lee – Gymnast‬
• Mallory Swanson – USWNT/Chicago Red Stars‬
• Lindsey Vonn – Skiing‬

BEST PLAY‬

• ‭Saquon Barkley’s backwards hurdle‬‭ – NFL (11/3/24)‬
• Tyrese Haliburton Calls Game!!!‬‭ – NBA Game 1 NBA Finals‬‭ (6/5/25)‬
• Sabrina Ionescu Logo 3 Game Winner‬‭ – WNBA Finals Game‬‭ 3‬
• Trinity Rodman with the OT Goal to send USWNT to the semi-finals‬‭ – 2024‬‭ Olympics‬

‭ BEST TEAM‬

• ‬‭Florida Panthers – NHL‬
• Los Angeles Dodgers – MLB‬
• New York Liberty – WNBA‬
• Ohio State Buckeyes – NCAA Football‬
• Oklahoma City Thunder – NBA‬
• Philadelphia Eagles – NFL‬
• North Carolina Tar Heels – NCAA Women’s Lacrosse‬
• United States Women’s National Team – Soccer‬
• University of Connecticut Huskies – Women’s Basketball‬

BEST COLLEGE ATHLETE – MEN’S SPORTS‬

• ‭Cooper Flagg – Duke Basketball‬
• Wyatt Hendrickson – Oklahoma State Wrestling‬
• Travis Hunter – Colorado Football‬
• CJ Kirst – Cornell Lacrosse‬

BEST COLLEGE ATHLETE – WOMEN’S SPORTS‬

• ‭Olivia Babcock – University of Pittsburgh Volleyball‬
• Kate Faasse – North Carolina Soccer‬
• Gretchen Walsh – Virginia Swimming‬
• JuJu Watkins – USC Basketball‬‭

BEST ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY‬

• ‭Noah Elliott – Snowboard‬
• Ezra Frech – Track & Field‬
• Tatyana McFadden – Track & Field‬
• Grace Norman – Paratriathlete‬

BEST NFL PLAYER‬

• ‭Josh Allen – Buffalo Bills‬
• Saquon Barkley – Philadelphia Eagles‬
• Lamar Jackson – Baltimore Ravens‬
• Patrick Surtain II – Denver Broncos‬

‭BEST MLB PLAYER‬

• ‭Freddie Freeman – Los Angeles Dodgers‬
• Aaron Judge – New York Yankees‬
• Shohei Ohtani – Los Angeles Dodgers‬
• Tarik Skubal – Detroit Tigers‬

BEST NHL PLAYER‬

• ‭Leon Draisaitl – Edmonton Oilers,‬
• Connor Hellebuyck – Winnipeg Jets‬
• Nikita Kucherov – Tampa Bay Lightning‬
• Cale Makar – Colorado Avalanche‬

BEST NBA PLAYER‬

• Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks‬
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder‬
• Nikola Jokić – Denver Nuggets‬
• Jayson Tatum – Boston Celtics‬

BEST WNBA PLAYER‬‭

• Caitlin Clark – Indiana Fever‬
• Napheesa Collier – Minnesota Lynx‬
• Breanna Stewart – New York Liberty‬
• A’ja Wilson – Las Vegas Aces‬

BEST DRIVER‬

• Joey Logano – NASCAR‬
• Álex Palou – IndyCar‬
• Oscar Piastri – F1‬
• Max Verstappen – F1‬

BEST UFC FIGHTER‬

• Dricus Du Plessis‬
• Merab Dvalishvili‬
• Kayla Harrison‬
• Islam Makhachev‬

BEST BOXER‬

• Naoya Inoue‬
• Claressa Shields‬
• Katie Taylor‬
• Oleksandr Usyk‬

BEST SOCCER PLAYER‬

• Aitana Bonmatí – FC Barcelona/Spain‬
• Christian Pulisic – AC Milan, US‬
• Alexia Putellas FC Barcelona/Spain‬
• Lamine Yamal – FC Barcelona/Spain‬

BEST GOLFER‬

• Nelly Korda‬
• Rory Mcllroy‬
• Scottie Scheffler‬
• Maja Stark‬

BEST TENNIS PLAYER‬

• Carlos Alcaraz‬
• Coco Gauff‬
• Aryna Sabalenka‬
• Jannik Sinner‬

The 2025 ESPYS will air live from The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday, July 16, at 8 PM ET/PT on ABC and will stream live on ESPN+. The ESPYS will also be available to stream on-demand the next day on Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+.

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