NEW YORK — Some of the world’s top athletes are set to gather on New York City’s Upper West Side on Wednesday for the 24th annual ESPY Awards.
The high-profile event will honor standout achievements in sports, spotlight memorable moments from the past year and bring together many of the biggest names and fan favorites from across the industry.
“It’s the crossover between sports and Hollywood and pop culture. It’s really cool,” said Craig Lazarus, ESPN vice president and executive producer of The ESPYs.
This year’s awards feature 22 categories, with 10 set to be presented during the broadcast. Winners are determined entirely by online voting, giving sports fans the final say.
Among the leading nominees this year are WNBA standout A’ja Wilson, New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson and Los Angeles Dodgers two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani.
After last year’s ceremony, hosted by Shane Gillis at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, the ESPYs are returning to the East Coast. New York City will host the show for the ninth time, with comedian and “Saturday Night Live” cast member Marcello Hernandez serving as host.
The evening will also include performances from hip-hop icons De La Soul, acclaimed rapper Ghostface Killah, legendary artist Slick Rick and the wildly popular baseball entertainment team the Savannah Bananas.
Presenters
A wide-ranging lineup of athletes and entertainers is scheduled to present, including singer Rauw Alejandro; Olympic track & field gold medalist Allyson Felix; “72 Hours” cast member Mason Gooding; Olympic freestyle skiing gold medalist Eileen Gu; actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish; “72 Hours” cast member Kevin Hart; GRAMMY-winning musician DJ Khaled; Olympic snowboarding gold medalist Chloe Kim; tennis legend Billie Jean King; “The Pat McAfee Show” host and ESPN analyst Pat McAfee; Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher; “72 Hours” cast member Ben Marshall; actor and comedian Tracy Morgan; ESPN personality Kevin Negandhi; “72 Hours” cast member Kam Patterson; boxer and creator Jake Paul; mentalist Oz Pearlman; “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts; Boston Celtics NBA champion Jayson Tatum; boxing legend and actor Mike Tyson; and Olympic alpine skiing gold medalist Lindsey Vonn. Actor and comedian Will Ferrell is also expected to make a special appearance.
Attendees
In addition, top athletes and celebrities scheduled to attend include Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Lauren Betts (Washington Mystics, UCLA women’s basketball), Simone Biles (Olympic gold medalist, gymnast), Jalen Brunson (NBA champion, New York Knicks), Ciara (singer and songwriter), Ayesha Curry (co-founder of Eat. Learn. Play), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Terence Crawford (boxer), Kevin Durant (Houston Rockets), Crystal Dunn (USWNT legend), Charlotte Flair (WWE superstar), Myles Garrett (Los Angeles Rams), Damar Hamlin (Buffalo Bills), Dwight Howard (Basketball Hall of Famer), Jack Hughes (Olympic gold medalist, New Jersey Devils, U.S. men’s hockey team), Jimmie Johnson (NASCAR legend), Hilary Knight (Olympic gold medalist, PWHL Detroit, U.S. women’s hockey team), Alysa Liu (Olympic gold medalist, figure skater), Oksana Masters (Paralympic gold medalist), Fernando Mendoza (Indiana football, Las Vegas Raiders), Shedeur Sanders (Cleveland Browns), Mikaela Shiffrin (Olympic gold medalist, alpine skiing), Matthew Tkachuk (Olympic gold medalist, Florida Panthers, U.S. men’s hockey team), Karl-Anthony Towns (NBA champion, New York Knicks), Russell Wilson (former NFL player), members of the Savannah Bananas and more.
Tune in to the ESPYS live at 8/7c July 15 on ABC, or stream it live on ESPN+ via the ESPN App. The show streams next day on Hulu, the ESPN App and ABC Video on Demand.
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