James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets (Image: Getty)
The 2018 ESPY nominations were announced on Wednesday, and some of the biggest sports stars of the year will compete for the prizes.
The Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards are held annually and are considered by many to be the “Oscars” of sports.
Former race car driver Danica Patrick will host this year’s ceremony, which is set to be held July 18 in Los Angeles.
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Some of the top contenders this year include second baseman Jose Altuve of the World Series champion Houston Astros, Houston Rockets guard James Harden and Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin, all of whom are nominated for Best Male Athlete.
Best Female Athlete nominees include snowboarder Chloe Kim, who won a gold medal for Team USA at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea earlier this year, as well as another Olympic medallist, alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin.
The Best Breakthrough Athlete category includes Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons, and Sloane Stephens, a tennis youngster who won last year’s U.S. Open women’s title.
Cleveland Cavaliers star forward LeBron James earned his 14th straight best NBA player nomination after leading his team to the Finals against the eventual champion Golden State Warriors. James has won the award for the past two years. Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Harden, and New Orleans’ Anthony Davis are also nominated in this category this year.
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Nominated for Best Game are Game 5 of the 2017 World Series, where the Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Georgia Bulldogs’ victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Rose Bowl, and the U.S. Women’s Hockey Team’s championship win over Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Here is the full list of nominees:
Best Male Athlete
Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
James Harden, Houston Rockets
Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Best Female Athlete
Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota Lynx
Mikaela Shiffrin, Ski
Chloe Kim, Snowboard
Julie Ertz, Chicago Red Stars/United States Women’s National Soccer Team
Best Olympic Moment
Shaun White, Snowboard
Jessie Diggins & Kikkan Randall, U.S. Cross Country Ski
U.S. Men’s Curling
USA Women’s Hockey defeats Canada, 2018 Winter Olympics
Donte DiVincenzo, Villanova Men’s Basketball – CBB National Championship
Best Breakthrough Athlete
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz
Sloane Stephens, Tennis
Best Game
Houston Astros defeat Los Angeles Dodgers, World Series Game 5
Georgia Bulldogs defeat Oklahoma Sooners, Rose Bowl
USA Women’s Hockey defeats Canada, 2018 Winter Olympics
Las Vegas Golden Knights defeat Winnipeg Jets to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals
No. 16 University of Maryland-Baltimore County upsets No. 1 Virginia
Best Team
Houston Astros, MLB
Philadelphia Eagles, NFL
USA Women’s Ice Hockey
Notre Dame Fighting Irish, NCAA Women’s Basketball
Villanova Wildcats, NCAA Men’s Basketball
Golden State Warriors, NBA
Washington Capitals, NHL
Best Coach
Aaron Feis
Scott Beigel
Chris Hixon
Best College Athlete
Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma Football
Jalen Brunson, Villanova Basketball
Katie Ledecky, Stanford Swimming
A’ja Wilson, South Carolina Basketball
Best Play (Top 16 into bracket for fan voting)
1. ND’s Arike Ogunbowale hits 2nd buzzer beater to win NCAA women’s national
title
2. Minnesota Miracle: Stefon Diggs makes last-second TD Catch to send Vikings to NFC championship
3. Philly Special: Eagles fool Patriots with fourth-down TD toss to Foles
4. Alabama wins national title on 41-yard OT TD pass from Tua Tagovailoa to Devonta Smith
5. FSU’s Jessie Warren makes diving double play in WCWS
6. LeBron James nails buzzer beater 3-pointer to beat the Pacers in Game 5 of Round 1
7. Evanston Township High school freshman Blake Peters hits 80-foot buzzer beater
8. Gareth Bale scores go-ahead bicycle kick goal in Champions League Final 1022
9. Cristiano Ronaldo scores bicycle kick goal against Juventus
10. Julian McGarvey makes last-second steal & heave to secure Ardsley High School’s 1st Section 1 title in 60 years
11. LeBron floats a glass-kissing buzzer beater to beat Raptors in game 3 of round 2
12. Team USA’s Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson scores the shootout winner to secure gold medal in women’s hockey
13. Giannis Antetokounmpo leapfrog dunks on Tim Hardaway Jr
14. Acrobatic volleyball play from Autumn Finney out of Decatur High School
15. Golden Knights’ William Karlsson goes through legs for ‘goal of the year’ contender
16. Jordan Poole hits buzzer-beater to send Michigan to the Sweet 16s
Best Record-Breaking Performance
Roger Federer, Tennis
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury
Best International Men’s Soccer Player
Lionel Messi, FC Barcelona/Argentina National Team
Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid/Portuguese National Team
Mohamed Salah, Liverpool/Egyptian National Team
Neymar Jr., PSG/Brazilian National Team
Best NFL Player
Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams
Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers
Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams
Best MLB Player
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
Mike Trout, LA Angels
Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals
Best NHL Player
Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Marc-Andre Fleury, Las Vegas Golden Knights
Best Male Golfer
Jordan Spieth
Justin Thomas
Dustin Johnson
Patrick Reed
Best Female Golfer
Shanshan Feng
Inbee Park
Ariya Jutanugarn
Sung-Hyun Park
Best Male Olympian
Shaun White, Snowboarding
Red Gerard, Snowboarding
David Wise, Halfpipe Skiing
John Shuster, Curling
Best Female Olympian
Chloe Kim, Snowboarding
Mikaela Shiffrin, Skiing
Jamie Anderson, Snowboarding
Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson, US Women’s Hockey
Best Male Tennis Player
Roger Federer
Rafael Nadal
Marin Cilic
Best Female Tennis Player
Sloane Stephens
Caroline Wozniacki
Simona Halep
Garbine Muguruza
Best MLS Player
Nemanja Nikolić, Chicago Fire
Diego Valeri, Portland Timbers
Ike Opara, Sporting Kansas City
Tim Melia, Sporting Kansas City
Best NWSL Player
Sam Kerr, Chicago Red Stars
Megan Rapinoe, Seattle Reign
Sam Mewis
Adrianna Franch, Portland Thorns
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