Basketball star Caitlin Clark, whose stellar year included breaking an NCAA scoring record and becoming the first pick the WNBA draft, leads all athletes with three nominations for the 2024 Espy Awards that were unveiled Wednesday.
Clark is nommed in three categories: Record-Breaking Performance for her NCAA feat, Best College Athlete, Women’s Sports and in the marquee Best Athlete, Women’s Sports, where she is joined by U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff, two-time major golf champion Nelly Korda and WNBA star A’ja Wilson.
In the race for Best Athlete, Men’s Sports, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes returns to defend his 2023 Espy win in the category after leading the Chiefs to their second Super Bowl win in a row this year. Other nominees include the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid and Masters winner Scottie Scheffler.
Mahomes and Ohtani are looking for their second career wins in that category, and a chance to join LeBron James, Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods as the only athletes to win there multiple times.
Winners will be announced July 11 in a ceremony hosted by Serena Williams at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. It will air on ABC live at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT.
Here is the complete list of 2024 nominees.
BEST ATHLETE, MEN’S SPORTS
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City ChiefsShohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels / Los Angeles Dodgers
Scottie Scheffler, GolfConnor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
BEST ATHLETE, WOMEN’S SPORTS
Caitlin Clark, Iowa Women’s BasketballCoco Gauff, TennisNelly Korda, GolfA’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE
Haleigh Bryant, LSU GymnasticsC.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Juju Watkins, USC Women’s BasketballVictor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
BEST RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE
49ers Christian McCaffrey scores a TD for a record breaking 17 straight gamesCaitlin Clark becomes NCAA’s All Time Scoring Leader breaking Pete Maravich’s RecordTara VanDerveer, Stanford Women’s Basketball – gets 1,203rd win to pass Coach K for most by any coach in NCAA basketball historyMax Verstappen wins record 10th consecutive race with victory at Italian Grand Prix
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE
Michigan’s Blake Corum and Will Johnson, 2024 College Football National Championship MVPs
Kayla Martello, Boston College Women’s LacrosseMidge Purce, NJ/NY Gotham FC – NWSL Championship MVPJaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
BEST COMEBACK ATHLETE
Simone Biles, GymnastPaige Bueckers, University of Connecticut Women’s BasketballJoe Flacco, Cleveland BrownsZion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
BEST PLAY
Jayda Coleman calls GAME sending Oklahoma to their 4th Straight Championship – NCAA Softball 6/4/2024Anthony Edwards Dunk of the Year – 3/18/24 – NBAAlabama scores on 4th & 31 to win vs. Auburn 11/25/23Lamar Jackson Caught His Own Pass & Ran With it – 1/28/24 – NFL
BEST TEAM
South Carolina Gamecocks, NCAA Women’s BasketballKansas City Chiefs, NFLMichigan Wolverines, NCAA FootballLas Vegas Aces, WNBAUniversity of Connecticut Huskies, NCAA Men’s BasketballOklahoma Sooners, NCAA SoftballBoston Celtics, NBAFlorida Panthers, NHLTexas Rangers, MLB
BEST COLLEGE ATHLETE, MEN’S SPORTS
Jayden Daniels, LSU FootballZach Edey, Purdue Men’s BasketballOusmane Sylla, Clemson SoccerPat Kavanagh, Notre Dame Lacrosse
BEST COLLEGE ATHLETE, WOMEN’S SPORTS
Haleigh Bryant, LSU GymnasticsCaitlin Clark, Iowa BasketballSarah Franklin, Wisconsin VolleyballIzzy Scane, Northwestern Lacrosse
BEST ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY
Jaydin Blackwell World Champion SprinterEzra Frech, World Champion High JumperBrenna Huckaby Snowboarding ChampionOksana Masters, Cross-Country Skier/Hand Cyclist
BEST NFL PLAYER
Myles Garrett, Cleveland BrownsLamar Jackson, Baltimore RavensPatrick Mahomes, Kansas City ChiefsChristian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
BEST MLB PLAYER
Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta BravesGerrit Cole, New York YankeesShohei Ohtani, Los Angeles AngelsCorey Seager, Texas Rangers
BEST NHL PLAYER
Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay LightningNathan MacKinnon, Colorado AvalancheAuston Matthews, Toronto Maple LeafsConnor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
BEST NBA PLAYER
Luka Dončić, Dallas MavericksShai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City ThunderNikola Jokić, Denver NuggetsJayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
BEST WNBA PLAYER
Napheesa Collier, Minnesota LynxBreanna Stewart, New York LibertyAlyssa Thomas, Connecticut SunA’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
BEST DRIVER
Ryan Blaney, NASCARMatt Hagan, NHRAÁlex Palou, IndyCarMax Verstappen, F1
BEST UFC FIGHTER
Islam MakhachevSean O’MalleyAlex Pereira
Zhang Weili
BEST BOXER
Terence CrawfordSeniesa EstradaNaoya InoueOleksandr Usyk
BEST SOCCER PLAYER
Aitana Bonmatí, SpainNaomi Girma, USWNTVinicius Junior, Brazil/Real MadridKylian Mbappé, France/Real Madrid
BEST GOLFER
Nelly KordaXander SchauffeleScottie SchefflerLilia Vu
BEST TENNIS PLAYER
Carlos AlcarazNovak DjokovicCoco GauffIga Swiatek
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