ESPYS are the yearly award show held by ESPN, broadcasted on ABC since 2015, in an attempt to fill a void. See, the ESPYs usually fall the day after the MLB All-Star Game because that day is the day that just about nothing goes on in any major sports. Actually, out of the four major sports, there is nothing going on.
So ESPN’s yearly award show brings us all the best from all sports, not just the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL. There’s WNBA, MLS and international athletes, some of the toughest people out of the world of combat sports, collegiate athletes and sometimes even animals are honored for their accomplishments. This year an athlete was a host for the first time since LeBron James in 2011. WWE’s own star, John Cena, had the distinct honor of host for the evening and he didn’t disappoint.
It was a night full of powerful emotions, remembrance and a celebration of life. It was a night that encapsulated all of the best sports moments from the last year, all packed into a 3-hour awards show with all your favorite athletes packed into the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles.
On the night, the Cleveland Cavaliers were the big winners taking home all seven ESPYs they were nominated for. But the Cavs weren’t the only winners, there was a nice handful of victors from all over the sports world.
2016 ESPYS winners
full list of nominees below, with winners in bold
BEST MALE ATHLETE
Stephen Curry
Cam Newton
Bryce Harper
LeBron James (WINNER)
BEST FEMALE ATHLETE
Breanna Stewart (WINNER)
Elena Delle Donne
Katie Ledecky
Simone Biles
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE
Von Miller – Super Bowl
Carli Lloyd – World Cup Final
Sidney Crosby – Stanley Cup Playoffs
LeBron James – NBA Finals (WINNER)
BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE
Jake Arrieta (WINNER)
Conor McGregor
Chloe Kim
Karl-Anthony Towns
BEST RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE
Stephen Curry – single season three-pointers made (WINNER)
Geno Auriemma – most NCAA basketball titles in D1 history (11)
Christian McCaffery – single season NCAAF all-purpose yards
BEST UPSET
Holly Holm knocks out Ronda Rousey – UFC (WINNER)
Middle Tennessee over Michigan State – Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament
Roberta Vinci over Serena Williams – US Open
BEST GAME
Villanova vs. North Carolina – Men’s NCAA Basketball Final
Arizona Cardinals vs. Green Bay Packers – NFL Divisional Round
Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers – NBA Finals Game 7 (WINNER)
BEST PLAY (16 NOMINEES VOTED BRACKET-STYLE)
Aaron Rodgers Hail Mary (WINNER) vs. 16. Crazy 66-yard Ole Miss’ TD
Kris Jenkins buzzer beater vs. 15. Connor McDavid goal
Michigan St punt block TD vs. 14. Stanford trick play w/ circus catch
LeBron Game 7 block vs. 13. Louis Oosthuizen hole-in-one off of ball
Steph Curry 38-foot game-winner vs. 12. Army softball player leaps over tag
Holly Holm knockout of Ronda Rousey vs. 11. Bartolo Colon first home run
Tiffany Howard HR robbery WCWS vs. 10. Josh Donaldson diving into stands
Jairo Samerio scores on scissor-kick ground vs. 9. Dele Alli juggling goal for Tottenham
Special Awards
JIMMY V PERSEVERANCE AWARD
Craig Sager for his battle with leukemia.
ARTHUR ASHE AWARD FOR COURAGE
Zaevion Dobson, shot and killed while shielding female friends from gunfire.
PAT TILLMAN AWARD FOR SERVICE
Sergeant Elizabeth Marks
BEST MOMENT
Cleveland Cavaliers win city’s first major title in over 50 years
BEST COMEBACK PLAYER
Eric Berry
ICON AWARD
Kobe Bryant, Peyton Manning, Abby Wambach
BEST TEAM
Cleveland Cavaliers (WINNER)
Pittsburgh Penguins
Kansas City Royals
Denver Broncos
Alabama Crimson Tide
UConn Huskies
Villanova Wildcats
BEST COACH/MANAGER
Ned Yost – Kansas City Royals
Geno Auriemma – UConn Huskies
Jay Wright – Villanova Wildcats
Nick Saban – Alabama Crimson Tide
Tyronn Lue – Cleveland Cavaliers (WINNER)
BEST INTERNATIONAL ATHLETE
Cristiano Ronaldo (WINNER)
Novak Djokovic
Lydia Ko
Luis Suarez
Canelo Alvarez
BEST NFL PLAYER
Cam Newton (WINNER)
Tom Brady
JJ Watt
Antonio Brown
Julio Jones
BEST MLB PLAYER
Bryce Harper (WINNER)
Josh Donaldson
Jake Arrieta
Mike Trout
Clayton Kershaw
BEST NHL PLAYER
Patrick Kane
Alex Ovechkin
Sidney Crosby (WINNER)
Joe Pavelski
Braden Holtby
BEST DRIVER
Kyle Busch (WINNER)
Lewis Hamilton
Erica Enders-Stevens
Scott Dixon
Alexander Rossi
BEST NBA PLAYER
Stephen Curry
Kawhi Leonard
LeBron James (WINNER)
Kevin Durant
Russell Westbrook
BEST WNBA PLAYER
Elena Delle Donne
Maya Moore (WINNER)
Angel McCoughtry
Tina Charles
DeWanna Bonner
BEST FIGHTER
Conor McGregor (WINNER)
Gennady Golovkin
Canelo Alvarez
Robbie Lawler
Roman Gonzalez
BEST MALE GOLFER
Jason Day
Dustin Johnson
Danny Willett
Jordan Spieth (WINNER)
BEST FEMALE GOLFER
Lydia Ko (WINNER)
Inbee Park
Brooke Henderson
Ariya Jutanugarn
BEST MLS PLAYER
Sebastian Giovinco (WINNER)
Kei Kamara
Laurent Ciman
Luis Robles
BEST MALE TENNIS PLAYER
Novak Djokovic (WINNER)
Andy Murray
Roger Federer
BEST FEMALE TENNIS PLAYER
Angelique Kerber
Flavia Pennetta
Serena Williams (WINNER)
Garbine Muguruza
BEST MALE COLLEGE ATHLETE
Derrick Henry
Buddy Hield (WINNER)
Jordan Morris
Jarrion Lawson
Alex Dieringer
BEST FEMALE COLLEGE ATHLETE
Breanna Stewart (WINNER)
Raquel Rodriguez
Samantha Bricio
Taylor Cummings
Sierra Romero
BEST MALE ACTION SPORTS ATHLETE
Ryan Dungey (WINNER)
Gus Kenworthy
Nyjah Huston
Pedro Barros
Mark McMorris
BEST FEMALE ACTION SPORTS ATHLETE
Chloe Kim
Keala Kennelly
Jamie Anderson (WINNER)
Carissa Moore
BEST JOCKEY
Mario Gutierrez (WINNER)
Kent Desormeaux
Javier Castellano
Irad Ortiz Jr.
BEST MALE ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY
Richard Browne (WINNER)
Joe Berenyi
Aaron Fotheringham
Nikko Landeros
Brad Snyder
BEST FEMALE ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY
Tatyana McFadden (WINNER)
Heather Erickson
Oksana Masters
Shawn Morelli
BEST BOWLER
Jason Belmonte (WINNER)
Jesper Svensson
Ryan Ciminelli
Anthony Simonsen
