The 2025 ESPYS winners will be announced throughout the evening as a roster of star-studded athletes gather on a day where major sports take off. Comedian Shane Gillis is hosting the ceremony.

Things officially got underway on Tuesday night with a gala honoring the 2025 Sports Humanitarian Awards. Here are the honorees from last night’s ceremony:

• Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award honoree: Sloane Stephens
• Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year winner: Indianapolis Colts
• Sports Philanthropist of the Year Award honoree: Michele Kang
• Corporate Community Impact Award winner: Buffalo Wild Wings
• Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award honoree: Billy Bean, former Major League Baseball player and executive
• Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award honorees: Maegha Ramanathan, Rishin Tandon, Ian Waite

As previously announced by ESPN, former NBA player Oscar Robertson will be honored with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage; Penn State University women’s volleyball head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley, will receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance; and Greater Los Angeles first responders and former athletes David Walters and Erin Regan will receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service. Additionally, the Sports Humanitarian Awards will feature honorees as part of the 2025 ESPYS including Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award recipient Sloane Stephens and the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award recipient(s).

Prior to the 2025 ESPYS taking place on ABC, some winners were revealed during The ESPYS Preview Show on ESPN, including Best Athlete with a Disability (Noah Elliott – Snowboard‬).

Live updates will continue during the telecast. Some winners were announced during the preview show.

Shane Gillis uses his 2025 ESPYS monologue to joke about January 6, 2021 and the Jeffrey Epstein files, claiming a joke was deleted. For someone selected to host The 2025 ESPYS, the jokes could be stronger. It would be fine if Jimmy Kimmel went on a monologue about Donald Trump during the Oscars, but Gillis feels out of place in doing so here. By the end of the monologue, he even admits that he lost the audience inside the Dolby Theatre. Think about how those of us watching from home feel!

Simone Biles uses her first acceptance speech of The 2025 ESPYS to offer her thoughts and prayers to the victims of Texas flash flooding during the July 4th weekend.

An exclusive movie trailer premiere for Tush Push. They wouldn’t air a red-band trailer during primetime for one. We’re in for a long night because this is worse than the last sketch that airs on SNL. But of course, the Philadelphia Eagles have done this in real life.

Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee take a moment to honor College GameDay analyst Lee Corso—who turns 90 in August—before his retirement following the opening broadcast of the 2025 college football season. Corso, who has been with College GameDay for 38 seasons, is the lone member remaining from the original broadcast team as the show begins its 39th year. Staying true to tradition, Corso dons headgear as the 2025 ESPYS honor him.

Russell Wilson introduces Jimmy V Award for Perseverance recipient Penn State University women’s volleyball head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley. The video is narrated by Will Reeve. Diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in September 2024, she continued to coach her team without missing a single practice. Schumacher-Cawley approached the challenge with “strength, determination, and an unwavering sense of hope” and throughout her treatment, Schumacher-Cawley maintained her commitment to the team, inspiring both players and fans.

As previously announced, the Icon Award was presented to Diana Taurasi and Alex Morgan.

Simone Biles adds to her hardware with her second award of the night and keeps her comments brief.

Angela Bassett introduces Pat Tillman Award for Service recipients Greater Los Angeles first responders and former athletes David Walters and Erin Regan.

Walters is an Olympic gold medalist, world record-holder, and NCAA champion swimmer for the University of Texas. He achieved international acclaim when he won a gold medal as part of the U.S. men’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He is also a seven-time medalist at the World Aquatic Championships, where he broke the world record for the 4×200 meter freestyle relay with Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte and Ricky Beren. Following his swimming career, he joined the Los Angeles City Fire Department nearly a decade ago.

Regan was a goalkeeper for the Wake Forest University women’s soccer team from 1998 to 2002, earning first-team All-ACC honors and setting several school records. After college, she joined the Washington Freedom in the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) and was part of the team that won the WUSA Founders Cup. Following the dissolution of the WUSA, Regan wanted a more dynamic and impactful career and joined the Los Angeles County Fire Department in 2008. She co-founded “Girls Fire Camp,” a one-day event for girls, and helped launch the Women’s Fire Prep Academy to provide mentorship and hands-on experience to aspiring female firefighters.

Following last night’s Sports Humanitarian Awards, the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award honorees are gathered on stage as part of The 2025 ESPYS: Maegha Ramanathan, Rishin Tandon, and Ian Waite.

Longtime ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman recognizes the Indianapolis Colts win at last night’s Sports Humanitarian Awards and pays tribute to the late Colts owner Jim Irsay, who died a few months ago. This segues into the In Memorial with music from Tobe Nwigwe featuring David Michael Wyatt. My only complaint is that the segment should include their names as opposed to just photos of those we lost since the last broadcast.

Russell Westbrook introduces the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage recipient, former NBA player Oscar Robertson. Shaquille O’Neal, Lebron James, and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver pay tribute during a video narrated by Sterling K. Brown.

As the president of the NBA Players Association from 1965 through 1974, Robertson presided over one of professional sports’ most significant labor battles – the fight for free agency. In 1970, he filed an antitrust lawsuit against the league aimed at blocking the NBA-ABA merger and liberating players from exploitive contract restrictions and they did not take kindly to his challenge – owners threatened and dismissed him, warning that the league would crumble under the weight of this new labor power. Many players shied away from the fight, worried that they would lose their jobs, but Robertson persisted, acutely aware that the status quo was unjust and unnecessary.

In 1976, after successfully delaying the merger, the Players Association reached a groundbreaking settlement with the league. Aptly deemed “the Oscar Robertson Rule,” this labor-rights achievement created what we know as “restricted free agency” and paved the way for greater labor gains down the road.

Allstate NACDA Good Works captains Sophia Groph and Jami Morris are honored during the 2025 ESPYS.

How do you get chosen to present an award at the 2025 ESPYS and forget the envelope?

The Complete List of 2025 ESPYS Winners

Best Athlete – Men’s Sports: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Best Athlete – Women’s Sports:‬ Simone Biles, Gymnast

Best Breakthrough Athlete: Ilona Maher, Team USA Rugby

Best Record-Breaking Performance‬: ‬Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals – NHL All-Time Goals Leader

Best Championship Performance: ‭Simone Biles, 2024 Olympics Women’s All-Around‬‬

Best Comeback Athlete‬: Suni Lee, Gymnast‬

Best Play‬: ‭Saquon Barkley’s backwards hurdle‬‭, NFL (11/3/24)‬

Best Team: Philadelphia Eagles, NFL‬

Best College Athlete – Men’s Sports‬: ‭Cooper Flagg, Duke Basketball‬

Best College Athlete – Women’s Sports‬: JuJu Watkins, USC Basketball‬‭

Best Athlete With A Disability‬: Noah Elliott, Snowboard

Best NFL Player‬: Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles

Best MLB Player: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers

Best NHL Player‬: ‭Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers

Best NBA Player‬: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

Best WNBA Player‬‭: Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever‬

Best Driver‬: Max Verstappen, F1‬

Best UFC Fighter‬: Merab Dvalishvili

Best Boxer: Katie Taylor

Best Soccer Player‬: Christian Pulisic, AC Milan, US‬‭

Best Golfer‬: Scottie Scheffler‬

Best Tennis Player‬: Coco Gauff‬

Gatorade Best Female Player of the Year: Jane Hendengren, Cross Country, Track and Field

Gatorade Best Male Player of the Year: Cameron Boozer, Basketball

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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