Espy Awards 2023 List, Nominees, Winners, Highlights And More!

Posted by Alex July 13, 2023
Espy Awards 2023
Espy Awards 2023

ESPN has wrapped up its celebration of the finest of the greatest in sports with the 2023 ESPY Awards. The night belonged to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who won three awards: best male athlete, best NFL player, and best team with the rest of the Chiefs.

Aside from Mahomes, ESPN focused heavily on the humanitarian honors. The United States women’s national soccer team received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, the Bills’ training staff received the Pat Tillman Award for Service from Damar Hamlin, and White Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks received the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance after resuming his pitching career after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Surrogate host Pat McAfee delivered a monologue at the outset of the program, but he didn’t have the typical ESPYS responsibility of performing in skits throughout the night and only appeared once. Instead, it was up to the presenters to entertain, with some succeeding more than others.

When LeBron James started talking about retiring, it appeared as if the spectators would be treated to a historic event. He promptly denied that, instead saying that he still has a lot to offer the NBA. The Sporting News covered the event live. Scroll down to view the Wednesday night winners and highlights.

ESPYS List of Categories, Nominees, Winners, Highlights

11:06 p.m. — To cap off the televised part of the night, the Chiefs take Team of the Year. It’s Mahomes’ third ESPY of the night.

10:57 p.m. — Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins present Best Play, which goes to Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson for his one-handed catch against the Bills en route to a Minnesota victory.

10:45 p.m. — Tiffany Haddish introduces the U.S. women’s soccer team as the winners of the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage in their fight for equal pay. Another powerful moment tonight.

10:11 p.m. — H.E.R. is singing a touching tribute to Jim Valvano’s 1993 “Don’t give up” speech, intercut with moments from the ESPYS.

10:03 p.m. — Breathe, everyone. LeBron is not retiring. Also, A’ja Wilson won best WNBA Player. He just kind of dropped that in.

9:59 p.m. — LeBron takes the stage and gets a lot of love from his family after a video package. Definitely a cool moment seeing them all up on stage.

9:54 p.m. — LeBron James’ family now takes the stage to honor James becoming the NBA’s all-time scoring leader this year, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar against the Thunder this season.

9:44 p.m. — Chris Berman presents White Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks with the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance for his remarkable comeback from non-Hodgkin lymphoma to pitch for the South Side Sox this season.

9:30 p.m. — Video of Hamlin’s emotional presentation of the Pat Tillman Award for Service to the Bills staff.

9:02 p.m. — Damar Hamlin gets a big ovation as he takes the stage to present the Bills training staff with the Pat Tillman Award for Service.

8:55 p.m. — Patrick Mahomes continues to dominate in, well, everything. He wins for best male athlete.

8:49 p.m. — Mikaela Shiffrin wins the ESPY for best women’s athlete, highlighting an incredible 2022 for the skiing superstar.

8:44 p.m. — Jrue and Lauren Holiday earned the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award for their support of Black-owned business.

8:22 p.m. — Jamal Murray of the Nuggets wins comeback player of the year after helping Denver to a championship after tearing his ACL.

8:13 p.m. — OK. McAfee is a host. This is a host monologue.

8:08 p.m. — Lil Wayne opens The ESPYs with a performance of “A Milli,” and Pat McAfee comes out as a de facto host, despite his assertions he is not a host.

7:46 p.m. — Dion Dawkins has shown up with… A look.

7:16 p.m. — Oklahoma softball has been unstoppable over the past few years. It is up for best team against other championship teams from the major sports. If we’re talking purely by record, the Sonners will be tough to beat.

7:07 p.m. — The best NFL player is on the red carpet.

6:45 p.m. — ESPYs mainstay Mikaela Shiffrin is ready.

6:25 p.m. — Another big honor to look for: White Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks is set to receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance after coming back to the team following his inspiring battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

6:02 p.m. — The Vegas Golden Knights are very much on the scene in Los Angeles.

6 p.m. — In other pre-announced awards, the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic has already been announced as best NBA player.

5:55 p.m. — It’s been confirmed LeBron James will be getting a special honor after passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

5 p.m. — The ESPYs have not yet begun, but “NFL Live” has already unveiled the winner of a major category. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has won for best NFL player, unsurprising given his MVP award last season.

Here are some articles on awards functions you can check it below:

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

Winner: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Best athlete, women’s sports

  • Mikaela Shiffrin, Ski
  • Sophia Smith, Portland Thorns
  • Iga Swiatek, Tennis
  • A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

Winner: Mikaela Shiffrin, Ski

Best breakthrough athlete

  • Caitlin Clark, Iowa Women’s Basketball
  • Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
  • Angel Reese, LSU Women’s Basketball
  • Julio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners

Winner: Angel Reese, LSU Women’s Basketball

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

Winner: LeBron James

Best championship performance

  • Leon Edwards, UFC
  • Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
  • Lionel Messi, Argentina
  • Rose Zhang, LPGA

Winner: Lionel Messi, Argentina

Best comeback athlete

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

Winner: Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets

Best play

Winner: Justin Jefferson’s Catch of the Century

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

Winner: Kansas City Chiefs

Best college athlete, men’s sports

  • Zach Edey, Purdue Basketball
  • Duncan McGuire, Creighton Soccer
  • Brennan O’Neill, Duke Lacrosse
  • Caleb Williams, USC Football

Winner: Caleb Williams, USC

Best college athlete, women’s sports

  • Jordy Bahl, Oklahoma Softball
  • Caitlin Clark, Iowa Basketball
  • Izzy Scane, Northwestern Lacrosse
  • Trinity Thomas, Florida Gymnastics

Winner: Caitlin Clark, Iowa

Best athlete with a disability

  • Erica McKee, Sled Hockey Team
  • Zach Miller, Snowboarding
  • Aaron Pike, Wheelchair Racing & Cross-Country Skiing
  • Susannah Scaroni, Wheelchair Racing

Winner: Zach Miller, Snowboarding

Best NFL player

  • Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers
  • Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
  • Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
  • Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Winner: 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

Winner: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels

Best NHL player

  • Jonathan Marchessault, Vegas Golden Knights
  • Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
  • David Pastrňák, Boston Bruins
  • Linus Ullmark, Boston Bruins

Winner: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

Best NBA player

  • Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
  • Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
  • Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
  • Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Winner: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

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

Winner: A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

Best driver

  • Brittany Force, NHRA
  • Kyle Larson, NASCAR
  • Josef Newgarden, IndyCar
  • Max Verstappen, F1

Winner: Max Verstappen, F1

Best UFC fighter

  • Leon Edwards
  • Jon Jones
  • Islam Makhachev
  • Amanda Nunes

Winner: Jon Jones

Best boxer

  • Gervonta Davis
  • Devin Haney
  • Claressa Shields
  • Shakur Stevenson

Winner: Claressa Shields

Best soccer player

  • Aitana Bonmatí, Spain/Barcelona
  • Erling Haaland, Norway/Manchester City
  • Lionel Messi, Argentina/PSG
  • Sophia Smith, USA/Portland Thorns

Winner: Lionel Messi, Argentina/PSG

Best golfer

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

Winner: Scottie Scheffler

Best tennis player

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

Winner: Novak Djokovic

How to watch the 2023 ESPY Awards show

  • Time: Wednesday, July 12 at 8 p.m. ET
  • Channel: ABC
  • Live stream: ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)

Cable subscribers can watch the 2023 ESPYS on ABC. Streaming options include ESPN.com or the ESPN app, both of which require cable login credentials.

Another option is Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks — ABC included — and offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

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Alex
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Alex Hoffman-Ellis is a nerd who love technology and computers. He has been building computers for over 5 years now, and have always loved the challenge of learning how to make them faster, better, and more efficient. He's here to share his insights on these as a journalist, a designer and a technologist with love for writing and tech stuff. Words from Alex Hoffman: “Technology is best when it brings people together.”