The 2025 ESPYS Nominations Full List

Where: Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood

When: Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Why: To celebrate the best in sports.

Who: Josh Allen, Saquon Barkley, Caitlin Clark, Coco Gauff, Simone Biles, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ilona Maher, and Alexander Ovechkin are among this year’s front running group of top nominees.

What: Voting now open and will close at 5 p.m. ET on July 16. Fans can cast their vote at ESPN.com/ESPYS.

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Sports fans have another opportunity to be a part of the upcoming 2025 ESPY Awards by casting their votes for their favorite athlete. The award show will be held at The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles at 8 p.m. and will air live on July 16, hosted by comedian Shane Gillis.

The 2025 ESPYS Nominees Are As Follows

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

BEST PLAY‬

• ‭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

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The award show will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles at 8 p.m. on July 16.

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