The 2021 ESPY Awards took place Saturday from The Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York City’s Seaport District.
Actor Anthony Mackie hosted the show, which returned to a live format after going virtual last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Below is the complete list of nominees for each category at ESPN’s 2021 ESPY Awards, including best male and female athlete.
BEST ATHLETE, MEN’S SPORTS
Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Lewis Hamilton, Formula 1
Winner: Tom Brady
Ring No. 7. Super Bowl MVP No. 5.@TomBrady is your @ESPYS winner for Best Athlete, Men's Sports ? pic.twitter.com/FpYvXpRajt
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 11, 2021
BEST ATHLETE, WOMEN’S SPORTS
Naomi Osaka, tennis
Simone Biles, gymnastics
Amanda Nunes, UFC
Breanna Stewart, Seattle Storm
Winner: Naomi Osaka
.@naomiosaka is the 2021 @ESPYS' winner for Best Athlete, Women's Sports!
… and she always gives the most wholesome speeches ? pic.twitter.com/XrorWcjVUz
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 11, 2021
BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Chase Young, Washington Football Team
LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets
Crystal Dangerfield, Minnesota Lynx
Winner: LaMelo Ball
.@MELOD1P wins Best Breakthrough Athlete and may have had the best speech so far ? pic.twitter.com/ofOkyHtG6G
— ESPN (@espn) July 11, 2021
BEST GAME
NCAA men’s basketball Final Four: Gonzaga 93, UCLA 90
NCAA women’s basketball championship: Stanford 54, Arizona 53
NFL Week 14: Ravens 47, Browns 42
NHL playoffs: Winnipeg Jets sweep Edmonton Oilers in triple OT
Winner: Gonzaga vs. UCLA
11-seed @UCLAMBB vs. 1-seed @ZagMBB in the men’s Final Four was an instant classic.
That epic Jalen Suggs OT game-winner and celebration ?
It’s the 2021 @ESPYS Best Game of the Year ? pic.twitter.com/Ic47NfaPtF
— ESPN (@espn) July 11, 2021
BEST COLLEGE ATHLETE, MEN’S SPORTS
DeVonta Smith, Alabama football
Luka Garza, Iowa basketball
Gloire Amanda, Oregon State soccer
Trevor Lawrence, Clemson football
Winner: DeVonta Smith
A dominant senior year at Alabama. Heisman winner. Two-time champ.@DeVontaSmith_6 earns the ESPY for Best College Athlete in Men’s Sports ? pic.twitter.com/7Qwihyuj3g
— ESPN (@espn) July 11, 2021
BEST COLLEGE ATHLETE, WOMEN’S SPORTS
Paige Bueckers, Connecticut basketball
Madison Lilley, Kentucky volleyball
Jaelin Howell, Florida State soccer
Odicci Alexander, James Madison softball
Winner: Paige Bueckers
"To all the incredible Black women in my life, on my teams. To Breonna Taylor and all the lives lost. To those names I have not yet learned but I hope to share — I stand behind you and I will continue to follow you and follow your lead and fight for you guys.”
— Paige Bueckers pic.twitter.com/uhGiMAYHSu— ESPN (@espn) July 11, 2021
BEST TEAM
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, NFL
Stanford Cardinal, NCAA women’s basketball
Baylor Bears, NCAA men’s basketball
Alabama Crimson Tide, NCAA football
Oklahoma Sooners, NCAA softball
Seattle Storm, WNBA
Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB
Winner: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
“I was like, ‘Damn, s—, we got a s— load of talent, baby.’” pic.twitter.com/IKHf5c9UHg
— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) July 11, 2021
BEST RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE
Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer passes Pat Summitt for most wins in NCAA women’s basketball history
Alabama’s DeVonta Smith in the College Football Playoff championship game
Phil Mickelson at the PGA Championship
Wizards’ Russell Westbrook breaks Oscar Robertson’s triple-double record
Winner: Russell Westbrook
.@russwest44 takes home the ESPY for Best Record Breaking Performance after an incredible season ? pic.twitter.com/2oP4QTVa0b
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 11, 2021
Reliving the 1??8??2?? moment.
Last night, @russwest44 took home the ESPY for Best Record-Breaking Performance. Congrats, Brodie! ?@ESPYS | #WES182OOK pic.twitter.com/ukaC4cZHlE
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) July 11, 2021
BEST INTERNATIONAL ATHLETE, MEN’S SOCCER
Kylian Mbappe, Paris Saint-Germain/French national team
Lionel Messi, Barcelona/Argentina national team
Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus/Portugal national team
Mohamed Salah, Liverpool/Egypt national team
Winner: Cristiano Ronaldo
The fans voted and @Cristiano takes home the ESPY for Best International Athlete, Men's Soccer ? pic.twitter.com/UCmfHko10e
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 10, 2021
BEST INTERNATIONAL ATHLETE, WOMEN’S SOCCER
Sam Kerr, Chelsea/Australia national team
Fran Kirby, Chelsea/English national team
Vivianne Miedema, Arsenal/Netherlands national team
Sam Mewis, Manchester City/USA national team
Winner: Sam Mewis
Sam Mewis takes home the ESPY for Best International Athlete, Women's Soccer ?
See ya in Tokyo, @sammymewy!
? Catch the @ESPYS tonight at 8 PM ET on @ABCNetwork pic.twitter.com/zi0mCe5yH4
— espnW (@espnW) July 10, 2021
BEST PLAY
Kyler Murray launches Hail Mary to DeAndre Hopkins (11/15/2020)
Simone Biles became the first woman to land a Yurchenko double pike on vault in competition (5/22/21)
Unseeded Marshall soccer scores with less than three minutes remaining in OT to claim first national title (5/17/21)
Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf chases down Cardinals defensive back Budda Baker (10/25/20)
Winner: Kyler Murray’s Hail Mary
The @ESPYS winner for Best Play:
That unforgettable Kyler Murray Hail Mary to DeAndre Hopkins ? @AZCardinals pic.twitter.com/WHyfhVw0AP
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 11, 2021
BEST NFL PLAYER
Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams
Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
Winner: Tom Brady
BEST MLB PLAYER
Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox
Trevor Bauer, Cincinnati Reds (2020), LA Dodgers (2021)
Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
Winner: Shohei Ohtani
BEST NHL PLAYER
Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
Winner: Patrick Kane
Congratulations to @88PKane on being named the 2021 @ESPYS Best NHL Player! #ESPYS pic.twitter.com/GfbUAp2Bln
— NHLPA (@NHLPA) July 11, 2021
BEST DRIVER
Scott Dixon, IndyCar
Lewis Hamilton, F1
Chase Elliott, NASCAR
Erica Enders, NHRA
Winner: Lewis Hamilton
.@LewisHamilton takes home the prize for Best Driver ?
? The ESPYS | Tonight at 8 PM ET on @ABCNetwork pic.twitter.com/a1xaCVP4Ps
— ESPYS (@ESPYS) July 10, 2021
BEST NBA PLAYER
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Chris Paul, Phoenix Suns
Winner: Stephen Curry
Congratulations to @StephenCurry30 for winning this year's ESPY for Best NBA Player ? pic.twitter.com/itTqavrROT
— ESPYS (@ESPYS) July 10, 2021
BEST WNBA PLAYER
A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas Wings
Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks (2020), Chicago Sky (2021)
Breanna Stewart, Seattle Storm
Winner: Breanna Stewart
“In the WNBA, it’s bigger than basketball. We’re continuing to fight for social justice, for social change. We’re always at the forefront of it.” @breannastewart accepts her ESPY for Best WNBA Player ? pic.twitter.com/VrJfyljPT8
— espnW (@espnW) July 10, 2021
BEST BOXER
Canelo Alvarez
Teofimo Lopez
Claressa Shields
Tyson Fury
Winner: Tyson Fury
The Gypsy King added some more gold to his collection ? @Tyson_Fury was voted 2021’s Best Boxer at the ESPYS. pic.twitter.com/7mzvds91Ov
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) July 11, 2021
BEST MMA FIGHTER
Amanda Nunes
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Rose Namajunas
Francis Ngannou
Winner: Khabib Nurmagomedov
BEST ATHLETE, MEN’S GOLF
Bryson DeChambeau
Dustin Johnson
Hideki Matsuyama
Phil Mickelson
Winner: Phil Mickelson
BEST ATHLETE, WOMEN’S GOLF
Jin Young Ko
Inbee Park
Sei Young Kim
Nelly Korda
Winner: Sei Young Kim
BEST ATHLETE, MEN’S TENNIS
Dominic Thiem
Novak Djokovic
Daniil Medvedev
Rafael Nadal
Winner: Novak Djokovic
BEST ATHLETE, WOMEN’S TENNIS
Naomi Osaka
Ashleigh Barty
Sofia Kenin
Victoria Azarenka
Winner: Naomi Osaka
BEST ATHLETE, MEN’S ACTION SPORTS
Marcus Kleveland, snowboard (Norway)
Yuto Totsuka, snowboard (Japan)
Gabriel Medina, surfing (Brazil)
Cooper Webb, supercross (USA)
Winner: Gabriel Medina, surfing
BEST ATHLETE, WOMEN’S ACTION SPORTS
Chloe Kim, snowboard (USA)
Eileen Gu, skiing (China)
Carissa Moore, surfing (USA)
Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, snowboard (New Zealand)
Winner: Chloe Kim, snowboarding
BEST JOCKEY
Irad Ortiz
John Velazquez
Flavien Prat
Joel Rosario
Winner: Joel Rosario
BEST ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY, MEN’S SPORTS
Evan Austin, swimming
Jesse Billauer, surfing
Keith Gabel, snowboard
Chris Nikic, triathlon
Winner: Chris Nikic, triathlon
BEST ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY, WOMEN’S SPORTS
Sam Bosco, cycling
Oksana Masters, Nordic & cycling
Becca Murray, wheelchair basketball
Leanne Smith, swimming
Winner: Becca Murray, wheelchair basketball
BEST BOWLER
Kyle Troup
Francois Lavoie
Tom Daugherty
Chris Via
Winner: Tom Daugherty
BEST MLS PLAYER
Alejandro Pozuelo, Toronto FC
Diego Rossi, Los Angeles FC
Andre Blake, Philadelphia Union
Lucas Zelarayan, Columbus Crew
Winner: Diego Rossi
BEST NWSL PLAYER
Rachel Daly, Houston Dash
Kailen Sheridan, NJ/NY Gotham FC
Julie Ertz, Chicago Red Stars
Lynn Williams, North Carolina Courage
Winner: Julie Ertz
Arthur Ashe Courage Award: Minnesota Lynx forward Maya Moore
"Power is not meant to be gripped with a clenched fist, … power is meant to be handled generously so we can thoughtfully empower one another to thrive in our communities, … championing our humanity before our ambitions." —@MooreMaya pic.twitter.com/NcLo4VdfPh
— ESPN (@espn) July 11, 2021
Jimmy V Award for Perseverance: Amateur triathlete Chris Nikic
"It's easy to make excuses and quit. I don’t do excuses. I don’t quit."@ChrisNikic's speech after receiving the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance was everything ? pic.twitter.com/2FId61blH0
— ESPN (@espn) July 11, 2021
Pat Tillman Award for Service: Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford
Manchester United and England star @MarcusRashford is the recipient of this year's Pat Tillman Award for Service.
Rashford, who has spoken about his reliance on free school meals as a child, helped raise millions of dollars to help feed children in England. pic.twitter.com/8ECo2LFtOO
— ESPYS (@ESPYS) July 11, 2021
Best Championship Performance: 25-time World medalist and gymnast Simone Biles
Congrats @Simone_Biles for your ESPY award!!?????????? #ESPYS #GOAT pic.twitter.com/hAd5Jzhg92
— MaryK Myal (@MaryKMyal) July 11, 2021
Best Championship Moment: Los Angeles Dodgers win 2020 World Series over Tampa Bay Rays
Check out more moments from the show.
What a show ?
Some of the best moments from the 2021 ESPYS ?? pic.twitter.com/liiOAqO6y6
— ESPYS (@ESPYS) July 11, 2021
Anthony Mackie did Ben Simmons DIRTY ? pic.twitter.com/S5LqC2nkfL
— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) July 11, 2021
"Sorry Drew Brees, you're old news. … I'm talking about the Spelling Bee champ." @AnthonyMackie salutes New Orleans legend Zaila Avant-garde ?? pic.twitter.com/rITM2SJpn8
— ESPN (@espn) July 11, 2021
Paige Bueckers goes into detail about why she decided to spotlight Black women in her @ESPYS speech. pic.twitter.com/fo8sk4MC9Z
— Andscape (@andscape) July 11, 2021
Sha'Carri Richardson talks her inspirations during our 2021 ESPYS recap. pic.twitter.com/JGlVoCZBcy
— Andscape (@andscape) July 11, 2021
.@AnthonyMackie didn't have to do @TheTraeYoung like that ? ? pic.twitter.com/JARF955ozb
— ESPN (@espn) July 11, 2021
Last Night >>> pic.twitter.com/lGhA7y7Ym0
— Matt James (@mattjames919) July 11, 2021
