It’s been another unforgettable year in sports, peppered with thrilling upsets, historic championships, and memorable performances across all sports. And once again, it’s time to celebrate the best of the best with the annual ESPY Awards. This year’s batch of ESPY nominees cover everything from the Winter Olympics to the Super Bowl and everything in between. See all the major category nominees for the 2018 ESPY Awards below, with our predicted winner in bold.
Best Male Athlete
Jose Altuve – MLB
James Harden – NBA
Alexander Ovechkin – NHL
Tom Brady – NFL
NBA players have dominated this category the for the past five years, so with history on his side, we’re giving the edge to newly-crowned NBA MVP James Harden. The Rockets may have missed their chance to make the NBA Finals, but under Harden’s leadership, Houston earned the top seeding for the first time in franchise history and finished the season with an impressive 65-17 record.
Best Female Athlete
Sylvia Fowles – WNBA
Chloe Kim – Snowboard
Mikaela Shiffrin – Ski
Julie Ertz – Soccer
17-year-old Chloe Kim quickly became one of the most talked-about Olympic athletes when she scored a gold medal in the snowboarding halfpipe, becoming the youngest woman to ever do so. Fellow Olympian Mikaela Shiffrin is also in the running as well as basketball and soccer stars Sylvia Fowles and Julie Ertz.
Best Championship Performance
George Springer, Houston Astros – World Series
Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles – Super Bowl
Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors – NBA Finals
Donte DiVincenzo, Villanova Men’s Basketball – National Championship Game
These four nominated athletes all had tremendous championship performances, but Nick Foles notched a truly spectacular one. Not only did he lead the Eagles to their first-ever Super Bowl win, but he was named the game’s MVP and became the first player to both throw and catch a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl. Perhaps the most impressive of all? He did it all as a backup quarterback to the injured Carson Wentz.
Best Game
Houston Astros def. Los Angeles Dodgers – World Series Game 5
Georgia Bulldogs def. Oklahoma Sooners – Rose Bowl
USA Women’s Hockey def. Canada – Winter Olympics
On their comeback trail to claiming their first World Series championship, the Houston Astros gave fans a thrilling Game 5 against the Dodgers. The two slugged it out for nearly 5 and a half hours, becoming the second-longest World Series game in history, and the Astros secured a 13-12 win after ten innings.
Best Breakthrough Athlete
Alvin Kamara – New Orleans Saints
Ben Simmons – Philadelphia 76ers
Donovan Mitchell – Utah Jazz
Sloane Stephens – Tennis
The NBA’s Rookie of the Year is looking the most likely to pick up an ESPY after his successful first season of play with the 76ers. Simmons led all rookies in rebounding, assists and steals, and is just one of seven Rookie of the Year winners to carry their teams to at least 50 wins in the season (the 76ers finished their season 52-30).
Best Team
Houston Astros – MLB
Philadelphia Eagles – NFL
USA Women’s Ice Hockey – Winter Olympics
Notre Dame Fighting Irish – NCAA Women’s Basketball
Villanova Wildcats – NCAA Men’s Basketball
Golden State Warriors – NBA
Washington Capitals – NHL
If there was any doubt that the Golden State Warriors were the best team in the NBA, it was put to rest during their sweep of Cleveland in the NBA Finals. Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and company earned their third championship ring in four years, securing their dominance and setting a new standard for NBA squads.
Best Moment
Minnesota Vikings def. New Orleans Saints – NFL Divisional Playoffs
Vegas Golden Knights def. Winnipeg Jets – NHL Western Conference Finals
University of Maryland-Baltimore County def. Virginia – NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Round 1
If there’s one moment to remember from the 2018 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, it’s the monster upset the University of Maryland-Baltimore County pulled over Virginia. Cinderella runs make for some of the best moments in all of sports, and UMBC’s take-down of Virginia was certainly one for the record books. It marked the first time in history that a #16 seed knocked out the top seeded team, and had everyone around the country stop and notice the unknown school.
Best Record-Breaking Performance
Roger Federer, Tennis – 8 Wimbledon titles
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees – 52 home runs in rookie season
Tom Brady, New England Patriots – 187 regular-season wins
Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury – 1,000 career 3-point shots
NFL players have more wins in this category than any other sport, which may give Tom Brady the upper hand. He may have lost the chance of a sixth Super Bowl ring but the QB threw his way to a record 187 regular season wins, surpassing both Peyton Manning and Brett Farve in the victory count.
Special pre-determined award winners include NFL Hall of Famer Jim Kelly for the Jimmy V Award for Perseverenace and former University of Wisconsin football player Jake Wood for the Pat Tillman Award for Service. This year’s Arthur Ashe Courage Award recipients are the gymnasts who spoke out against the abuse they endured by convicted former team doctor Larry Nassar. Sports coaches and faculty who were killed in February’s shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida will also be honored at the ceremony.
The 2018 ESPY Awards air July 18 on ABC at 8 p.m. EST. Racing legend Danica Patrick will serve as the show’s first female host.