Sports are back and so is ESPN's annual athletics awards show. The 2021 ESPYS will return to ABC in celebration of this year's biggest achievements and highlight moments in sports. The show will bring together the sports industry's biggest stars with fresh and familiar faces.
Top celebrities from sports and entertainment will gather to honor nominees and winners in categories such as Best Athlete - Men's Sports, Best Athlete - Women's Sports, Best Game, Best Record-Breaking Performance, Best MMA Fighter, Best Play, and more.
The 2021 ESPYS Nominations
- Tom Brady has racked up ESPY nominations almost as easily as Super Bowls. After nearly 20 years with New England, Brady abandoned his patriotism and left for Tampa Bay as he lead them to their second Super Bowl victory in franchise history in his mere first year with the team! For his fourth time, the Buccaneers quarterback is nominated for Best Athlete - Men's Sports, and for his tenth go-around, Brady is nominated for Best NFL Player!
- In the Best Athlete category, Brady joins the company of ice hockey center Connor McDavid, race-car driver Lewis Hamilton, and NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic.
- Tennis sensation Naomi Osaka and MMA fighter Amanda Nunes will face off with returning nominees WNBA star Breanna Stewart and gold medalist Simone Biles in the Best Athlete - Women's Sports category. Biles has been leaping over her competitors this past year, most recently winning the U.S. Women's Gymnastics Championship, securing her seventh women's all-around title.
- Russell Westbrook returns with another Record Breaking Performance nomination with a new triple double milestone. After being traded from Houston to the Washington Wizards following the COVID induced Bubble playoffs, Westbrook finessed his way to the top of the all-time triple double list, while leading Washington to the playoffs. In this category, Westbrook joins standout athletes DeVonta Smith, Tara VanDerveer, and Phil Mickelson, who in May and at 50 years old, won the PGA Championships, becoming the oldest major champion in golf history.
Per tradition, The 2021 ESPYS will also showcase the achievements of inspiring and courageous athletes who embody the spirit of "The ESPYS" through three pillar awards: The Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance, and The Pat Tillman Award for Service.
Fans can now cast their votes at ESPYS.com and continue to do so until voting closes at 8 p.m. EDT on Friday, July 9 . Christine Williams and Gary Streiwski will host The ESPYS Nomination Special on Thursday, July 1, at 7 p.m. EDT on ESPN. The ESPYS will broadcast live on ABC on Saturday, July 10, at 8 p.m. EDT.
