ESPY Award nominees 2023: Complete list of players, teams for all of the ESPYs voting categories

By | July 11, 2023

From the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, the 2023 ESPY Awards are going to have a different look. There won’t be a host for the first time in the show’s history, although there is still a long line of presenters scheduled to appear. 

Among those presenters are NBA legend Dwyane Wade, LSU star Angel Reese, and WNBA icon Sue Bird. There will also be plenty of nominees in attendance, including Patrick Mahomes, Justin Jefferson, and Jamal Murray.

There are many nominees, both athletes and teams. Among them are MVPs and champions, not to mention some key performances such as LeBron James breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring record and Rose Zhang’s win at the Mizuho Americas Open.

Then there are the best athlete nominees, featuring the likes of NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic, AL MVP Aaron Judge, and 2022 WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson.

MORE: Watch the ESPY Awards live on Fubo (free trial)

It’s going to be a jam-packed night featuring a wide swath of sports. Here’s the full list of nominees for the 2023 ESPYs:

ESPY Award nominees 2023

Best athlete, men’s sports

  • Nikola Jokic, 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 Swiatek, 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
  • Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
  • Lionel Messi, Argentina
  • Rose Zhang, LPGA

Best comeback athlete

  • Jon Jones, UFC
  • Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
  • Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun
  • Justin Verlander, New York Mets / Houston Astros

Best play

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

MORE: What does ESPY stand for?

Best college athlete, men’s sports

  • Zach Edey, Purdue 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 Basketball
  • Izzy Scane, Northwestern Lacrosse
  • Trinity Thomas, Florida 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, USA/Portland Thorns

Best golfer

  • Wyndham Clark
  • Nelly Korda
  • Jon Rahm
  • Scottie Scheffler

Best tennis player

  • Carlos Alcaraz
  • Novak Djokovic
  • Aryna Sabalenka
  • Iga Swiatek

The full list of presenters and nominees can be found here.

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