2023 ESPYS Winners: See the Complete List
These athletes are officially rejoicing over another win.
The 2023 ESPYS aired live from the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on July 12—and the annual event celebrating the biggest names in sports surely did not disappoint.
As for the nominees of the evening, quite a few stars were up for the Best Athlete trophy including Patrick Mahomes, Lionel Messi, Mikaela Shiffrin and A'ja Wilson, to name a few. Not to mention, Mikaela was also nominated for Best Record-Breaking Performance for her outstanding 87 World Cup victories.
But that's not all, considering none other than LeBron James, who broke the NBA All-Time Scoring Record, was also nominated in that category. The two athletes faced off against F1's Max Verstappen for most wins in a season and Novak Djokovic for his historic 23rd Grand Slam title, which he earned at the French Open in June.
And as previously announced by ESPN, the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (USWNT) was given the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage; Chicago White Sox pitcher and cancer survivor Liam Hendriks was honored with the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance; and the Buffalo Bills training staff was awarded with the Pat Tillman Award for Service presented by MassMutual.
Keep reading to find out who scored a brand-new trophy at the 2023 ESPYS.
Best Athlete, Men's Sports
Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
WINNER: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Lionel Messi, Argentina
Best Athlete, Women's Sports
WINNER: Mikaela Shiffrin, Ski
Sophia Smith, Portland Thorns
Iga Świątek, Tennis
A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Best Breakthrough Athlete
Caitlin Clark, Iowa Women's Basketball
Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
WINNER: 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
WINNER: 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 - defeats Kamaru Usman by 5th-round KO to win UFC welterweight title, handing Usman his first UFC loss
Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets - 2023 NBA Finals MVP
WINNER: Lionel Messi, Argentina - 2022 World Cup Final - scored 2 goals and scored in the penalty shootout to win Man of the Match and he won the Golden Ball as FIFA's best player of the tournament
Rose Zhang, LPGA - defeated Jennifer Kupcho in a two-hole sudden death playoff, making history by winning by becoming the first woman in 72 years to win her first professional start
Best Comeback Athlete
Jon Jones, UFC
WINNER: Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun
Justin Verlander, Current New York Mets / Houston Astros
Best Play
Michael Block Hole-in-One! GOLF
WINNER: Justin Jefferson with the Catch of the Century NFL
Ally Lemos with the perfect corner to tie the National Championship game NCAA
Trinity Thomas Perfect 10 Tying the All-Time NCAA Record NCAA
Best Team
Denver Nuggets, NBA
Georgia Bulldogs, NCAA Football
WINNER: Kansas City Chiefs, NFL
Las Vegas Aces, WNBA
Louisiana State Tigers, NCAA Women's Basketball
Oklahoma Sooners, NCAA Softball
Vegas Golden Knights, NHL
Best College Athlete, Men's Sports
Zach Edey, Purdue Men's Basketball
Duncan McGuire, Creighton Soccer
Brennan O'Neill, Duke Lacrosse
WINNER: Caleb Williams, USC Football
Best College Athlete, Women's Sports
Jordy Bahl, Oklahoma Softball
Caitlin Clark, Iowa Women's Basketball
Izzy Scane, Northwestern Lacrosse
Trinity Thomas, Florida Gators 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
WINNER: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Best MLB Player
Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
WINNER: 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
WINNER: 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)
WINNER: A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Best Driver
Brittany Force, NHRA
Kyle Larson, NASCAR
Josef Newgarden, IndyCar
WINNER: Max Verstappen, F1
Best UFC Fighter
Leon Edwards
WINNER: Jon Jones
Islam Makhachev
Amanda Nunes
Best Boxer
Gervonta Davis
Devin Haney
WINNER: Claressa Shields
Shakur Stevenson
Best Soccer Player
Aitana Bonmatí, Spain/Barcelona
Erling Haaland, Norway/Manchester City
WINNER: Lionel Messi, Argentina/PSG
Sophia Smith, USWNT/Portland Thorns
Best Golfer
Wyndham Clark
Nelly Korda
Jon Rahm
WINNER: Scottie Scheffler
Best Tennis Player
Carlos Alcaraz
WINNER: Novak Djokovic
Aryna Sabalenka
Iga Świątek
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