The biggest names in sports are competing for more than championships tonight. The 2026 ESPYS will recognize standout performances from the past year across dozens of categories, honoring everyone from established superstars to rising stars making their first appearance on the ballot. For a complete list of ESPYS 2026 nominees, check out our ESPYS spoilers below.
When to Watch The ESPYS 2026?
The ESPYS 2026 will air on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET/t p.m. CT on ABC. The night will feature an elite lineup of athletes and the brightest Hollywood stars joining forces with ESPN to commemorate the past year in sports.
Viewers can tune into ABC to watch live tonight. The ESPYS will also stream on the ESPN App in tandem with ABC airings across time zones. You will also be able to stream the next day on Disney+, Hulu, the ESPN App, and ABC Video on Demand.
The 2026 ESPYS Nominees
We have the full list of nominees before tonight’s ceremony is held. This list includes several first-time nominees, including Bam Adebayo, Lauren Betts, Macklin Celebrini, Hannah Hidalgo, Drake Maye, Fernando Mendoza, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
BEST ATHLETE, MEN’S SPORTS
- Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
- Lionel Messi, Inter Miami CF
- Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
BEST ATHLETE, WOMEN’S SPORTS
- Hilary Knight, Hockey
- Nelly Korda, Golf
- Mikaela Shiffrin, Ski
- A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE
- Macklin Celebrini, San Jose Sharks
- Alysa Liu, Figure Skating
- Drake Maye, New England Patriots
- Fernando Mendoza, Indiana Football
BEST RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE
- Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns — broke the NFL single-season sack record
- Megan Grant, UCLA Softball — broke the NCAA single-season softball home run record
- Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, Cross-Country Skier — first athlete to win six golds at Winter Games
- Sabastian Sawe, Long-Distance Runner — first to finish a marathon in under two hours
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE
- Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
- Aerin Frankel, USA Women’s Hockey
- Connor Hellebuyck, USA Men’s Hockey
- Teagan Kavan, Texas Longhorns Softball
BEST COMEBACK ATHLETE
- Anthony Kim, Golf
- Savy King, Angel City FC
- Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
- Kyndal Stowers, Texas A&M Volleyball
BEST PLAY
- Golden Goal for Gold! — Olympic Women’s Hockey
- Golden Goal for Gold! — Olympic Men’s Hockey
- UConn stuns Duke with Braylon Mullins’ buzzer-beating 3 — NCAA Men’s March Madness
- OG Anunoby’s Tip-In — NBA Finals
- Caleb Williams Game-Tying TD vs. Rams — NFL
BEST TEAM
- Las Vegas Aces, WNBA
- Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB
- Indiana Hoosiers, NCAA Football
- Carolina Hurricanes, NHL
- New York Knicks, NBA
- Texas Longhorns, NCAA Softball
- Seattle Seahawks, NFL
- Team USA Men’s Hockey
- Team USA Women’s Hockey
BEST SINGLE-GAME PERFORMANCE
- Tyce Armstrong, Baylor Baseball — hit three grand slams in a single game, tying a record set 50 years ago
- Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat — scored 83 points for the Miami Heat in a 150–129 win against the Washington Wizards, recording the second-highest single-game total in NBA history
- Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame Basketball — broke the NCAA record for most steals (16) in a game
- Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers — pitched six scoreless innings, struck out 10 batters, and hit three home runs
BEST COLLEGE ATHLETE, MEN’S SPORTS
- Cameron Boozer, Duke Basketball
- Fernando Mendoza, Indiana Football
- Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State Wrestling
- Donavan Phillip, NC State Soccer
BEST COLLEGE ATHLETE, WOMEN’S SPORTS
- Olivia Babcock, Pittsburgh Volleyball
- Lauren Betts, UCLA Basketball
- Madison Taylor, Northwestern Lacrosse
- Faith Torrez, Oklahoma Gymnastics
BEST ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY
- Jake Adicoff, Para Nordic-Skiing
- Declan Farmer, Para Hockey
- Oksana Masters, Para Cross-Country Skiing
- Susannah Scaroni, Wheelchair Racing
BEST NFL PLAYER
- Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns
- Drake Maye, New England Patriots
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks
- Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
BEST MLB PLAYER
- Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
- Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners
- Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates
BEST NHL PLAYER
- Macklin Celebrini, San Jose Sharks
- Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
- Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
- Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
BEST NBA PLAYER
- Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
- Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
BEST WNBA PLAYER
- Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx
- Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream
- Alyssa Thomas, Phoenix Mercury
- A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
BEST DRIVER
- Kimi Antonelli, F1
- Lando Norris, F1
- Alex Palou, IndyCar
- Tyler Reddick, NASCAR
BEST FIGHTER
- Terence Crawford, Boxing
- Gabriela Fundora, Boxing
- Justin Gaethje, MMA
- Claressa Shields, Boxing
BEST SOCCER PLAYER
- Temwa Chawinga, KC Current
- Ousmane Dembélé, PSG/France
- Lionel Messi, Inter Miami CF
- Alexia Putellas, Spain/Barcelona
BEST GOLFER
- Nelly Korda
- Rory McIlroy
- Scottie Scheffler
- Jeeno Thitikul
BEST TENNIS PLAYER
- Carlos Alcaraz
- Elena Rybakina
- Aryna Sabalenka
- Jannik Sinner
The ESPYS 2026 air tonight on ABC at 8/7c, with a special live stream available on the ESPN App. You will also be able to stream the next day on Disney+, Hulu, the ESPN App, and ABC Video on Demand.
