The ESPYS are back and in person this year, and a ton of our favorite athletes will go head to head for a chance to receive some hardware for their efforts in their respective sports this season.
Earlier today (June 21), ESPN announced the nominees for The 2023 ESPYS, which is set to relive the highlight moments of the year, honor leading athletes and performances, and bring together the sports industry’s fan favorites and biggest stars.
Nikola Jokić, Patrick Mahomes, A’ja Wilson, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese lead the pack with the most nominations, while LeBron James, Wyndham Clark, Aaron Judge, Lionel Messi and Mikaela Shiffrin are up for some notable awards in top categories.
Per tradition, The 2023 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 presented by MassMutual. Recipients for all three awards will be announced next week. 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.
Fans can vote for their favorite athletes at ESPN.com/ESPYS beginning today, and can continue to do so before voting closes on Sunday, July 9, 2023 at 8PM ET. The 2023 ESPYS will then broadcast live from Los Angeles on Wednesday, July 12th at 8PM ET/5PM PT on ABC, and more details regarding hosts and special guests will be revealed at a later date.
Are you excited for The ESPYS this July? Let us know by leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sliding into our DMs on Instagram at @celebsecrets.
Keep scrolling for the full list of nominees for The 2023 ESPYS…
2023 ESPYS NOMINATIONS
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 wins his 23rd Grand Slam title, defeating Casper Ruud in the French Open final. Breaking a tie with rival Rafael Nadal for the most major singles trophies in the history of men’s tennis, which dates to the 1800s
- LeBron James surpasses Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for NBA career scoring record
- Mikaela Shiffrin breaks the record for the most World Cup victories with her 87th win
- Max Verstappen wins the Mexican Grand Prix, breaking the record for most wins in a season
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE
- Leon Edwards, UFC – defeats Kamaru Usman by 5th-round KO to win UFC welterweight title, handing Usman his first UFC loss
- Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets – 2023 NBA Finals MVP
- Lionel Messi, Argentina – 2022 World Cup Final – scored 2 goals and scored in the penalty shootout to win Man of the Match and he 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 winning by becoming the first woman in 72 years to win her first professional start.
BEST COMEBACK ATHLETE
- Jon Jones, UFC – Jones’ first fight in the UFC since 2020. He was last seen in action against Dominick Reyes, where he defended his light-heavyweight championship at UFC 247. While Jon Jones 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 – Murray missed the entirety of last season due to a torn ACL in his left knee. He suffered the injury in a game against the Golden State Warriors on April 12, 2021, and didn’t play in the 18 months since then.
- Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun – 2022 WNBA Comeback Player of the Year. Thomas missed all but six games last season while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. The eight-year veteran has started all 36 of Connecticut’s games in 2022, and was an All- Star earlier this season. She 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 ’21 season due to Tommy John surgery, the Astros’ ace 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
