2023 ESPYs: Patrick Mahomes, A’ja Wilson Lead Best Athlete Nominees

Yes, LeBron James; Patrick Mahomes; Aaron Judge and Jalen Hurts are all nominated for the 2023 ESPYS, but it’s great to also see the Oklahoma Sooners softball team; the Las Vegas Aces; and LSU basketball star Angel Reese get recognized. Fans can vote on their favorite athletes and sports moments of the year at ESPYS.com. The big show airs live Wednesday, July 12 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC. Take a look back through the year in sports with the 2023 ESPY nominees.

Best Athlete, Men’s Sports

• Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

• Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

• Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

• Lionel Messi, Argentina

ESPN fans have a football bias, so Mahomes will probably win this. But look out Jokić, who just won his first NBA Championship.

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Best Athlete, Women’s Sports

• Mikaela Shiffrin, Ski

• Sophia Smith, Portland Thorns

• Iga Świątek, Tennis

• A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

A’ja Wilson and Mikaela Shiffrin are the most well known names on this list, but if you watch tennis, you know how dominant Iga Świątek has been over the past year.

Best Breakthrough Athlete

• Caitlin Clark, Iowa Women’s Basketball

• Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

• Angel Reese, LSU Women’s Basketball

• Julio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners

It’s hard for women to win this award, but Angel Reese should win just based on how she stood up to the White House. And also for winning the NCAA women’s basketball championship.

Best Record-Breaking Performance

LeBron James Breaks Kareem’s All-Time Scoring Record | NBA on TNT

• Novak Djokovic wins his 23rd Grand Slam title.

• LeBron James surpasses Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for NBA career scoring record.

• Mikaela Shiffrin breaks the record for the most World Cup victories.

• Max Verstappen breaks the record for most wins in a season

Let’s not waste time. It’s LeBron, and we all know it.

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

• Lionel Messi, Argentina - 2022 World Cup Final - scored 2 goals and scored in the penalty shootout and he won the Golden Ball.

• Rose Zhang, LPGA - the first woman in 72 years to win her first professional start.

It’s probably going to be Messi or Jokić, but if you’re the first person to beat someone that’s pretty special.

Best Comeback Athlete

• Jon Jones, UFC - Jones’ first fight in the UFC since 2020.

• Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets - Returned from a torn ACL to help the Nuggets win their first NBA Championship.

• Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun - 2022 WNBA Comeback Player of the Year. Returned from a torn Achilles tendon.

• Justin Verlander, Current New York Mets / Houston Astros - 2022 NL Comeback Player of the Year, after missing 2020 and 2021 seasons due to Tommy John surgery.

I get that it’s a longshot, but Alyssa Thomas has been nothing short of a triple-double machine.

Best Play

• Michael Block Hole-in-One! GOLF

• 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

People love amazing catches. I don’t see a world where Justin Jefferson doesn’t win.

Best Team

Oklahoma softball three-peats | Final out from 2023 WCWS

• 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

It’s probably going to be Kansas City, but no team on this list even approaches the domination of the Oklahoma Sooners softball team.

Best NFL Player

• Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers

• Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

• Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

• Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes is the best NFL player, but if he wins best athlete, then Jalen Hurts should be recognized here.

Best MLB Player

• Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals

• Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

• Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels

• Justin Verlander, Houston Astros

No offense to the other guys, but this is a two player race. Whether it’s Aaron Judge or Shohei Otani, you really can’t go wrong either way.

Best NBA Player

• Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat

• Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

• Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

• Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Everyone here is awesome, but Jimmy Butler deserves some love for leading the Miami Heat to the 2023 NBA Finals.

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

Much like the 2022 MVP race, it once again comes down to A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart for best player in the WNBA. Honestly, I have no idea who will win, but since these are fan-voted, it might be Stewie this time.

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