After a jam-packed, crazy sports year, ESPN had no shortage of amazing moments to choose from for its annual ESPY Awards. This year’s nominees feature some of the most popular athletes in the world.
Per a press release provided to The Root, brand new NBA Finals MVP Steph Curry is up for Best Athlete, Men’s Sports alongside Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers; history making Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani and perennial NHL highlight Connor McDavid.
Look no further than the Best Athlete, Women’s Sports category for a clear example of how amazing women have been across every aspect of the sports world. Olympic gold medal winning gymnast Suni Lee; Paralympic gold medalist Oksana Masters, record-breaking swimmer Katie Ledecky and WNBA champion Candace Parker are all awesome and should just share the award, because none of these women deserve to lose.
With COVID-19 delaying the Tokyo Olympics to 2021, the Best Olympian categories feature both summer and winter athletes competing against one another. Lee, Masters and Ledecky are joined by track and field legend Allyson Felix in Best Olympian, Women’s Sports.
Felix is also nominated for Best Record-Breaking Performance for winning her eleventh Olympic medal, the most every by a U.S. track and field athlete. She’s up against college softball star Jocelyn Alo, who holds the record for the most homeruns in Division I history; some football guy named Tom Brady and Steph, who is nominated for becoming the NBA’s all-time three-pointer record holder. Brady or Steph is probably going to win this one, but let’s shock the world and vote for Allyson Felix and Jocelyn Alo. Those guys have plenty of trophies.
Championship winners Golden State Warriors, NBA; Chicago Sky, WNBA; Atlanta Braves, MLB; Los Angeles Rams, NFL; Oklahoma Sooners, NCAA Softball; Georgia Bulldogs, NCAA Football and Colorado Avalanche, NHL are all up for Best Team. Honestly, it’s going to be the Warriors or the Rams, because it’s almost always the NFL or NBA team, but if the award is really about domination, the obvious choice is Oklahoma softball.
Voting is now open for The 2022 ESPYS and runs through Sunday, July 17 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
The 2022 ESPY Awards air Wednesday, July 20 at 8/7c on ABC.
Notable ESPY Award nominees:
BEST ATHLETE, MEN’S SPORTS
- Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
- Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
- Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
- Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
BEST ATHLETE, WOMEN’S SPORTS
- Oksana Masters, Cross Country Skiing, Road Cycling, Biathlon
- Sunisa Lee, Gymnastics
- Katie Ledecky, Swimming
- Candace Parker, Chicago Sky
BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE
- Trinity Rodman, Washington Spirit
- Eileen Gu, Skier
- Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
- Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
BEST RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE
- Stephen Curry passes Ray Allen for most 3-pointers made in NBA history
- Jocelyn Alo breaks Lauren Chamberlain’s home run record for most in Division I history (96)
- Allyson Felix, Track & Field won her 11th career medal surpassing Carl Lewis for the United States track and field record
- Tom Brady becomes the NFL all-time passing yards leader overtaking Drew Brees
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE
- Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams – Super Bowl LVI
- Julianna Peña, UFC 269
- Max Verstappen, F1 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
- Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche – Stanley Cup Finals
BEST COMEBACK ATHLETE
- Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
- Trey Mancini, Baltimore Orioles
- Diamond DeShields, Phoenix Mercury
- Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
BEST PLAY
- Unbelievable Corner Kick Goal by Megan Rapinoe
- Justin Tucker 66-yard NFL record field goal
- Ja Morant’s POSTER
- Hansel Enmanuel with the play of the year
BEST TEAM
- Golden State Warriors, NBA
- Chicago Sky, WNBA
- Atlanta Braves, MLB
- Los Angeles Rams, NFL
- Oklahoma Sooners, NCAA Softball
- Georgia Bulldogs, NCAA Football
- Colorado Avalanche, NHL
BEST OLYMPIAN, WOMEN’S SPORTS
- Sunisa Lee, Gymnastics
- Oksana Masters, Cross Country Skiing, Road Cycling, Biathlon
- Katie Ledecky, Swimming
- Allyson Felix, Track & Field
BEST OLYMPIAN, MEN’S SPORTS
- Nathan Chen, Figure Skating
- Declan Farmer, Sled Hockey
- Nick Mayhugh, Track & Field
- Caeleb Dressel, Swimming
BEST GAME
- Kansas City Chiefs defeat the Buffalo Bills in an OT thriller (AFC Divisional Game)
- UConn defeats NC State in double OT (Elite 8 NCAA Women’s Basketball)
- Kansas’ 16-point rally, which was the biggest comeback in championship game history (NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship)
- Bryce Young rallies Alabama to beat Auburn in four OTs (NCAA Football Iron Bowl)