2023 ESPY Awards Winners List: The U.S. Women’s Soccer Honored With Arthur Ashe Award and More

Some of the biggest names in sports took home a silver statue at this year’s ESPY Awards. 

The ESPYs — which stand for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly — took place on Wednesday, July 12, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, and recognized some of the world's most prominent athletes' outstanding work over the past year. 

While the event is typically hosted by a well-known athlete — NBA star Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors took up the mantle in 2022 — Wednesday’s ceremony was without an emcee due to the ongoing WGA writer’s strike in Hollywood.

This year’s ceremony also paid tribute to three courageous athletes, teams and staff members for their strength over the past year. Chicago White Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks will receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance for his hard-fought battle against non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, while the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team was awarded the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage for their fight for equal pay. The Buffalo Bills training staff, for their part, were honored with the Pat Tillman Award for Service in recognition of their fast and life-saving service to NFL player Damar Hamlin when he went into cardiac arrest on the field in April.

Keep scrolling for the full list of nominees and winners from the 2023 ESPY Awards: 

Best Athlete, Men’s Sports 

Nikola Joki? - Denver Nuggets

Aaron Judge - New York Yankees

Patrick Mahomes - Kansas City Chiefs

Lionel Messi - Argentina

Best Athlete, Women’s Sports 

Mikaela Shiffrin - Ski

Sophia Smith - Portland Thorns

Iga ?wi?tek - Tennis

A’ja Wilson - Las Vegas Aces

Best Breakthrough Athlete

Caitlin Clark - Iowa Women’s Basketball

Brock Purdy - San Francisco 49ers

Angel Reese - LSU Women’s Basketball

Julio Rodríguez - Seattle Mariners

Best Record-Breaking Performance

Novak Djokovic

LeBron James

Mikaela Shiffrin 

Max Verstappen

Best Championship Performance

Leon Edwards - UFC 

Nikola Joki? - Denver Nuggets  

Lionel Messi - Argentina 

Rose Zhang - LPGA

Best Comeback Athlete 

Jon Jones, UFC 

Jamal Murray - Denver Nuggets

Alyssa Thomas - Connecticut Sun

Justin Verlander - Current New York Mets / Houston Astros 

Best Play

Michael Block Hole - Golf 

Justin Jefferson  - NFL

Ally Lemos  - NCAA

Trinity Thomas - NCAA

Best Team 

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

Best College Athlete, Men’s Sports 

Zach Edey - Purdue Men’s Basketball

Duncan McGuire - Creighton Soccer

Brennan O’Neill - Duke Lacrosse

Caleb Williams - USC Football

Best College Athlete, Women’s Sports

Jordy Bahl - Oklahoma Softball

Caitlin Clark - Iowa Women’s Basketball

Izzy Scane - Northwestern Lacrosse

Trinity Thomas - Florida Gators Gymnastics

Best Athlete With a Disability 

Erica McKee - Sled Hockey Team

Zach Miller - Snowboarding

Aaron Pike - Wheelchair Racing & Cross-Country Skiing

Susannah Scaroni - Wheelchair Racing

Best NFL Player

Nick Bosa - San Francisco 49ers

Jalen Hurts - Philadelphia Eagles

Justin Jefferson - Minnesota Vikings

Patrick Mahomes - Kansas City Chiefs

Best MLB Player

Paul Goldschmidt - St. Louis Cardinals

Aaron Judge - New York Yankees

Shohei Ohtani - Los Angeles Angels

Justin Verlander - Houston Astros

Best NHL Player

Jonathan Marchessault - Vegas Golden Knights

Connor McDavid - Edmonton Oilers

David Pastrňák - Boston Bruins

Linus Ullmark - Boston Bruins

Best NBA Player

Jimmy Butler - Miami Heat

Joel Embiid - Philadelphia 76ers

Nikola Joki? - Denver Nuggets

Jayson Tatum - Boston Celtics

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

Best Driver 

Brittany Force - NHRA

Kyle Larson - NASCAR

Josef Newgarden - IndyCar

Max Verstappen - F1

Best UFC Fighter

Leon Edwards

Jon Jones

Islam Makhachev

Amanda Nunes

Best Boxer 

Gervonta Davis

Devin Haney

Claressa Shields

Shakur Stevenson

Best Soccer Player 

Aitana Bonmatí - Spain/Barcelona

Erling Haaland - Norway/Manchester City

Lionel Messi - Argentina/PSG

Sophia Smith - USWNT/Portland Thorns

Best Golfer

Wyndham Clark

Nelly Korda

Jon Rahm

Scottie Scheffler

Best Tennis Player

Carlos Alcaraz

Novak Djokovic

Aryna Sabalenka

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Iga ?wi?tek