Skip to main content June 26, 2025 6:37am Share on Facebook Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment Caitlin Clark Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images Share on Facebook Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment NFL stars Josh Allen and Saquon Barkley, WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark, Coco Gauff, Simone Biles, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ilona Maher and Alexander Ovechkin are among the top nominees for the 2025 ESPY Awards, announced Thursday. The winners will be announced on Wednesday July 16, with the ceremony set to be hosted by comedian Shane Gillis live from The Dolby Theater in Los Angeles at 8 p.m., airing live on ABC and streaming on ESPN+. Te show will see celebrities from the worls of sports and entertainment hand out awards in categories like “Best Athlete – Men’s Sports,” “Best Athlete – Women’s Sports,” “Best Breakthrough Athlete,” “Best Record Breaking Performance,” “Best Championship Performance” and “Best Comeback Athlete.” Related Stories How to Watch 2025 NBA Draft Live Online Without Cable Shane Gillis to Host 2025 ESPY Awards Allen, Barkley and Gilgeous-Alexander will face off in the men’s sports category, with Shohei Ohtani rounding out the nominees list. Biles is nominated in the women’s category, Ilona Maher in the breakthrough category and Ovechkin and Clark in the record breaking performance category. You can see the full list of categories and nominees, below. 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 ‭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 THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day international Disney+ Sets July Premiere for Korean Treasure-Hunt Drama ‘Low Life’ ‘The Bear’ Review: FX/Hulu’s Culinary Dramedy Stalls Out With a Muted Fourth Season News and Documentary Emmy Awards CBS, ABC, CNN and National Geographic Among Top Winners at 2025 News Emmys LIV Golf Dallas: When to Watch Every Round and Stream the Whiskey Myers Concert on Hulu + Live TV ‘Countdown’ Star Jensen Ackles Unpacks That Premiere Reveal in Ticking-Time-Bomb Series ‘Very Young Frankenstein’ Comedy in the Works at FX, Mel Brooks Exec Producing The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2025 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. 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