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ESPN announced the nominees for the 2023 ESPYS, in which athletes like LeBron James and Patrick Mahomes are up for “Best Record-Breaking Performance” and “Best Athlete, Men’s Sports,” respectively.
Other headliners include three-time nominee Mikaela Shiffrin facing off against A’ja Wilson, Sophia Smith, and Iga Świątek for “Best Athlete, Women’s Sports.” Alongside James as a newcomer to the category will be F1’s Max Verstappen, Novak Djokovic, and Mikaela Shiffrin for “Best Record-Breaking Performance.” Joining Mahomes is fellow two-time nominee Nikola Jokíć alongside newcomers Aaron Judge and Lionel Messi.
Lastly, making her sixth straight appearance in Best WNBA Player, Candace Parker joins back-to-back nominee Skylar Diggins-Smith alongside A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart.
Fun fact: Jokić is the lowest-drafted player (41st overall in the second round in 2014) to win the NBA Finals MVP, passing Dennis Johnson, who was drafted 29th overall in 1979. Jokíć earned himself three ESPY nominations this year to add to his previous three.
The 2023 ESPYS will broadcast live on Wednesday, July 12, at 8/7c on ABC from Los Angeles. The star-studded ceremony will relive the highlight moments of the year, honor leading athletes and performances, and bring together the sports industry’s fan favorites and biggest stars.
Check out the full list of nominations below.
Best Athlete, Men’s Sports
Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Lionel Messi, Argentina
Best Athlete, Women’s Sports
Mikaela Shiffrin, Ski
Sophia Smith, Portland Thorns
Iga Świątek, Tennis
A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Best Breakthrough Athlete
Caitlin Clark, Iowa Women’s Basketball
Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Angel Reese, LSU Women’s Basketball
Julio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners
Best Record-Breaking Performance
Novak Djokovic — 23rd Grand Slam title, with the French Open, for the most major singles trophies in the history of men’s tennis
LeBron James — NBA career scoring record
Mikaela Shiffrin — most World Cup victories with her 87th win
Max Verstappen — with the Mexican Grand Prix, most wins in a season
Best Championship Performance
Leon Edwards, UFC — defeats Kamaru Usman by fifth round KO to win UFC welterweight title, handing Usman his first UFC loss
Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets — 2023 NBA Finals MVP
Lionel Messi, Argentina — in the 2022 World Cup Final, scored two goals and scored in the penalty shootout to win Man of the Match; won the Golden Ball as FIFA’s best player of the tournament
Rose Zhang, LPGA — defeated Jennifer Kupcho in a two-hole sudden death playoff, making history by becoming the first woman in 72 years to win her first professional start
Best Comeback Athlete
Jon Jones, UFC — His first fight in the UFC since 2020; while he was plotting a move to the heavyweight division, he and the UFC president did not see eye-to-eye over fighter pay. Jones felt that he needed to be paid more for a move up to the heavyweight division, which resulted in him delaying his return.
Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets — He missed the entirety of last season due to a torn ACL in his left knee; the injury happened in the April 12, 2021 game, and he didn’t play for 18 months.
Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun — 2022 WNBA Comeback Player of the Year; she missed all but six games last season while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon and leads the team in assists (6.1), steals (1.7) and minutes played (32.1).)
Justin Verlander, Current New York Mets / Houston Astros — 2022 NL Comeback Player of the Year, after being limited to only six innings in 2020 and missing the entire 2021 season due to Tommy John surgery; he returned this season to go 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA (the lowest by any AL pitcher since Pedro Martinez posted a 1.74 ERA in 2000)
Best Play
Michael Block Hole-in-One! GOLF
Justin Jefferson with the Catch of the Century NFL
Ally Lemos with the perfect corner to tie the National Championship game NCAA
Trinity Thomas Perfect 10 Tying the All-Time NCAA Record NCAA
Best Team
Denver Nuggets, NBA
Georgia Bulldogs, NCAA Football
Kansas City Chiefs, NFL
Las Vegas Aces, WNBA
Louisiana State Tigers, NCAA Women’s Basketball
Oklahoma Sooners, NCAA Softball
Vegas Golden Knights, NHL
Best College Athlete, Men’s Sports
Zach Edey, Purdue Men’s Basketball
Duncan McGuire, Creighton Soccer
Brennan O’Neill, Duke Lacrosse
Caleb Williams, USC Football
Best College Athlete, Women’s Sports
Jordy Bahl, Oklahoma Softball
Caitlin Clark, Iowa Women’s Basketball
Izzy Scane, Northwestern Lacrosse
Trinity Thomas, Florida Gators Gymnastics
Best Athlete With a Disability
Erica McKee, Sled Hockey Team
Zach Miller, Snowboarding
Aaron Pike, Wheelchair Racing & Cross-Country Skiing
Susannah Scaroni, Wheelchair Racing
Best NFL Player
Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Best MLB Player
Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
Justin Verlander, Houston Astros
Best NHL Player
Jonathan Marchessault, Vegas Golden Knights
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
David Pastrňák, Boston Bruins
Linus Ullmark, Boston Bruins
Best NBA Player
Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Best WNBA Player
Skylar Diggins-Smith, Phoenix Mercury
Candace Parker, Chicago Sky (Current Las Vegas Aces)
Breanna Stewart, Seattle Storm (Current New York Liberty)
A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Best Driver
Brittany Force, NHRA
Kyle Larson, NASCAR
Josef Newgarden, IndyCar
Max Verstappen, F1
Best UFC Fighter
Leon Edwards
Jon Jones
Islam Makhachev
Amanda Nunes
Best Boxer
Gervonta Davis
Devin Haney
Claressa Shields
Shakur Stevenson
Best Soccer Player
Aitana Bonmatí, Spain/Barcelona
Erling Haaland, Norway/Manchester City
Lionel Messi, Argentina/PSG
Sophia Smith, USWNT/Portland Thorns
Best Golfer
Wyndham Clark
Nelly Korda
Jon Rahm
Scottie Scheffler
Best Tennis Player
Carlos Alcaraz
Novak Djokovic
Aryna Sabalenka
Iga Świątek
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