2026 ESPYS Awards: Complete Winners List

The 2026 ESPYS honored the year's greatest athletic moments and performances on Wednesday night (July 15) at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City, with Marcello Hernandez serving as host.

The evening recognized standout achievements across professional and collegiate sports, with several athletes claiming multiple honors. Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks took home awards for Best NBA Player and Best Championship Performance, while A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces won both Best Athlete in Women's Sports and Best WNBA Player.

Special recognition went to three recipients of prestigious honors. Jason Collins, a former NBA player, received the Arthur Ashe Award posthumously. Jim Abbott, a former MLB pitcher, was presented with the Jimmy V Award, and Scott Ruskan was honored with the Pat Tillman Award.

Additional major winners included figure skater Alysa Liu for Best Breakthrough Athlete, Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns for Best Record-Breaking Performance after setting the NFL single-season sack record, and Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers for Best Comeback Athlete.

Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers earned Best Single-Game Performance after pitching six scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts while hitting three home runs. The New York Knicks secured Best Team honors.

In individual sport categories, Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers won Best NHL Player, Scottie Scheffler claimed Best Golfer, Carlos Alcaraz earned Best Tennis Player, and Lionel Messi of Inter Miami CF was named Best Soccer Player. Terence Crawford took home Best Fighter, while Lando Norris of Formula One was recognized as Best Driver.

Notable single-game performances included Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame Basketball breaking the NCAA record with 16 steals in a game, and Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat scoring 83 points in an NBA game. OG Anunoby's tip-in during the NBA Finals was selected as Best Play.