ESPY Awards 2023: List of Nominees and Predictions for Event’s Top Categories
The 2023 ESPY Awards are slated to take place on Wednesday evening, and for fans watching at home, things will look and feel a little different.
For the first time since its inception in 1993, the ESPYs won’t have a dedicated host. According to Stephen Douglas of The Big Lead, the decision was made to go hostless in response to the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike.
However, fans won’t miss out on the entertainment factor usually found at the ESPYs. Performances by Lil Wayne and H.E.R. are scheduled to perform, while the list of presenters and attendees will include Mike Tyson, Sue Bird, Patrick Mahomes, Kyrie Irving, Pat McAfee and more.
The event is set to kick off at 8 p.m. ET from the from The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and will be broadcast on ABC.
The celebration of the best athletes and the biggest moments from the past 12 months will unfold as usual, and below, you’ll find a look at the nominees and some predictions for the event’s top awards.
Best Athlete, Women’s Sports
Mikaela Shiffrin, Ski
Sophia Smith, Portland Thorns
Iga Świątek, Tennis
A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
The field for Best Athlete, Women’s Sports includes four worthy candidates but may also have an overwhelming favorite.
Sophia Smith helped the Portland Thorns win the National Women’s Soccer League championship while also aiding the U.S. Women’s National Team during wins in the SheBelieves Cup and the CONCACAF W Championship.
A’ja Wilson helped the Las Vegas Aces win a WNBA title while being named league MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and an All-Star. American skier Mikaela Shiffrin, meanwhile, became the winningest alpine skier in history in March after winning her 87th World Cup race.
Shiffrin’s record is a testament to the year-round dedication she has shown to her sport.
“You dream about the race wins. But at the same time, that’s such a small, small part of it,” Shiffrin told NPR’s A Martínez.
However, Iga Świątek is on a truly remarkable run, having won the 2022 French Open, 2022 U.S. Open and 2023 French Open—and she just reached her first Wimbledon quarterfinal.
The world No. 1 ranked Świątek has had perhaps the most impressive year of any athlete in any sport, and it’s hard to envision anyone other than the tennis superstar taking home this award.
Prediction: Świątek wins
Best Athlete, Men’s Sports
Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Lionel Messi, Argentina
The other top award for individual athletes might be a closer race. In the men’s category, we have three champions in Nikola Jokić, Lionel Messi and Patrick Mahomes plus a historic record-setter in Aaron Judge.
While Judge didn’t lead the New York Yankees to a title, he did break Roger Maris’ 61-year-old AL home run record with 62. It was an incredible accomplishment and Judge’s chase for the record was one of the biggest storylines of the 2022 MLB season.
Winning matters, though, and Jokić led the Denver Nuggets to their first championship in franchise history. He also claimed NBA Finals MVP honors, and rightfully so.
Mahomes is probably the front-runner for the award after being named NFL regular-season MVP, Super Bowl MVP and leading the Kansas City Chiefs to their second Lombardi Trophy in four years.
However, the prediction here is that the global superstar, Messi, edges out the field. Messi, who recently signed with Inter Miami CF of the MLS, helped Argentina win the 2022 FIFA World Cup—arguably the world’s biggest sporting event outside of the Olympics.
All four nominees are likely to win the top athlete award for their respective sports, but Messi will take home this one.
Prediction: Messi wins
Best Breakthrough Athlete
Caitlin Clark, Iowa Women’s Basketball
Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Angel Reese, LSU Women’s Basketball
Julio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners
While the ESPY Awards are known for highlighting the world’s best, it also celebrates some of the blossoming stars in the sporting world.
We saw two during the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, as Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and LSU’s Angel Reese took the country by storm. Reese’s squad got the better of Clark’s in the title game, giving LSU its first NCAA women’s basketball national championship,
Reese also recently helped Team USA reach the championship game in the 2023 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, though America fell to Brazil 69-58.
Julio Rodríguez, the star outfielder of the Seattle Mariners, also surged into the spotlight over the last year. Making his major-league debut last April, the 22-year-old has already put 2022 AL Rookie of the Year, a Silver Slugger Award and two All-Star nods on his resume.
Brock Purdy, meanwhile, reigns as one of the biggest surprises of the past year. The 2022 seventh-round draft pick out of Iowa State took over as the starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers late in the season and helped the team reach the NFC title game.
The previously unheralded late draft selection went 7-1 (including playoffs) as San Francisco’s starter but suffered an elbow injury and fell short of reaching the Super Bowl.
The sheer popularity of the NFL, coupled with the quarterback’s stunning rise to stardom, gives Purdy a chance to win. However, the prediction here is that Reese’s championship pedigree makes her the top breakthrough athlete.
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
The field for Best Team is comprised of championship-winning squads, so a case could be made for any of them.
However, voters typically love a good story, and first-time title winners like LSU, Denver and the Vegas Golden Knights certainly qualify.
The prediction here is that the Golden Knights come out on top after winning a championship just six seasons into the franchise’s existence.
“This team was put together with a thought process to win the Stanley Cup in six years,” franchise owner Bill Foley said, per NHL.com’s Nick Cotsonika. “I made a silly statement six and a half years ago — playoffs in three, Cup in six — and the boys actually remembered it, and they played for it, and they did it.”
Vegas was also fairly dominant during the NHL playoffs, losing only six games in four series and besting the Florida Panthers 4-1 in the Stanley Cup Final. Against Florida, the Golden Knights scored a whopping 26 goals while allowing only 12.
The Nuggets had a similar run through the postseason, sweeping the Las Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals and beating the Miami Heat in the Finals in five games. However, Vegas’ quick run from expansion team to NHL champion could give it a slight edge in the voting.
