Watch the 2025 ESPY awards for free tonight; Who will win Best Athlete of the Year? Start time, nominees

Comedian Shane Gillis hosts the

2025 ESPY awards

tonight, featuring a slew of the world’s most popular athletes and entertainers, who congregate annually to celebrate the sporting achievements of the past year. The show will air live

on Wednesday, July 16 at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET ( 6 p.m. MT) with

a live broadcast on ABC

, and on

ESPN+

.

•

You can

watch the ESPYs live for FREE with Fubo

(free trial) or

DIRECTV

(free trial) or on

the ESPN+ streaming service

($11.99 a month, $119.99 a year), or see more live streaming and TV options for the event provided below.

Music performances and powerful speeches will be the highlight of the evening, along with top awards for social justice work, athlete advocacy, and more.

HOW TO WATCH

What:

The 2025 ESPYs Awards Show.

Where

: Dolby Theatre | Los Angeles, California

When:

5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, July 16.

TV channel

: ABC

How to watch live stream online

: If you don’t have cable,

watch for free with Fubo

(free trial)

,

with

DIRECTV

(free trial), on

ESPN+

($11.99 a month, $119.99 a year), or with a

subscription to Sling

(cheapest streaming options. If you already have cable or satellite service, you can also watch the event live on

Watch ESPN

with your cable or satellite provider login information.

Another way to watch the ESPYs for free on your TV is with an HDTV antenna. If you don’t already have one, you can purchase a solid, well-rated HDTV antenna at a reasonable price that will get you local news stations and network TV like ABC, NBC, PBS, FOX, and more.

A solid and well-rated HDTV antenna can be purchased for under $35. For example, this

HDTV antenna

is currently one of the top-selling HDTV antenna products on Amazon at

around $35 and ships quickly if you have Amazon Prime

. If you don’t have a Prime account, sign up for an Amazon Prime free trial and get it shipped to your door in two days.

Here’s a look at the awards, including Best Athlete of the Year, that will be handed out and the list of nominees, courtesy of ESPN

BEST ATHLETE: MEN’S SPORTS‬

• 
  ‬‭Josh Allen – Buffalo Bills‬
  
• 
  ‬‭Saquon Barkley – Philadelphia Eagles‬
  
• 
  Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder‬
  
• 
  ‬‭Shohei Ohtani – Los Angeles Dodgers‬
  

BEST ATHLETE: WOMEN’S SPORTS‬

• 
  ‭Simone Biles – Gymnast‬
  
• 
  Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone – Track & Field‬
  
• 
  Gabby Thomas – Track & Field‬
  
• 
  ‭A’ja Wilson – Las Vegas Aces‬
  

BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE‬

• 
  ‭Cooper Flagg – Duke Men’s Basketball‬
  
• 
  Chloe Humphrey – North Carolina Women’s Lacrosse‬
  
• 
  Ilona Maher – Rugby‬
  
• 
  ‭Paul Skenes – Pittsburgh Pirates‬
  

BEST RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE‬

• 
  ‭Geno Auriemma – UConn Huskies
  
• 
  ‬Caitlin Clark – Indiana Fever
  
• 
  Kevin Durant – Olympic Basketball
  
• 
  Alexander Ovechkin – Washington Capitals
  

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE‬

• 
  ‭Simone Biles – 2024 Olympics Women’s All-Around‬
  
• 
  Stephen Curry – US Men’s Olympic BB team‬
  
• 
  Freddie Freeman – LA Dodgers – World Series MVP‬
  
• 
  Rory McIlroy – Wins first Masters title, completing career Grand Slam‬
  

BEST COMEBACK ATHLETE‬

• 
  ‭Gabe Landeskog – Colorado Avalanche‬
  
• 
  Suni Lee – Gymnast‬
  
• 
  Mallory Swanson – USWNT/Chicago Red Stars‬
  
• 
  Lindsey Vonn – Skiing‬
  

BEST PLAY‬

• 
  ‭Saquon Barkley’s backwards hurdle‬‭ – NFL (11/3/24)‬
  
• 
  Tyrese Haliburton Calls Game!!!‬‭ – NBA Game 1 NBA Finals‬‭ (6/5/25)‬
  
• 
  Sabrina Ionescu Logo 3 Game Winner‬‭ – WNBA Finals Game‬‭ 3‬
  
• 
  Trinity Rodman with the OT Goal to send USWNT to the semi-finals‬‭ – 2024‬‭ Olympics‬
  

BEST TEAM‬

• 
  ‬‭Florida Panthers – NHL‬
  
• 
  Los Angeles Dodgers – MLB‬
  
• 
  New York Liberty – WNBA‬
  
• 
  Ohio State Buckeyes – NCAA Football‬
  
• 
  Oklahoma City Thunder – NBA‬
  
• 
  Philadelphia Eagles – NFL‬
  
• 
  North Carolina Tar Heels – NCAA Women’s Lacrosse‬
  
• 
  United States Women’s National Team – Soccer‬
  
• 
  University of Connecticut Huskies – Women’s Basketball‬
  

BEST COLLEGE ATHLETE: MEN’S SPORTS‬

• 
  
  ‭
  
  Cooper Flagg – Duke Basketball‬
  
• 
  Wyatt Hendrickson – Oklahoma State Wrestling‬
  
• 
  Travis Hunter – Colorado Football‬
  
• 
  CJ Kirst – Cornell Lacrosse‬
  

BEST COLLEGE ATHLETE: WOMEN’S SPORTS‬

• 
  
  ‭
  
  Olivia Babcock – University of Pittsburgh Volleyball‬
  
• 
  Kate Faasse – North Carolina Soccer‬
  
• 
  Gretchen Walsh – Virginia Swimming‬
  
• 
  JuJu Watkins – USC Basketball‬‭
  

BEST ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY‬

• 
  ‭Noah Elliott – Snowboard‬
  
• 
  Ezra Frech – Track & Field‬
  
• 
  Tatyana McFadden – Track & Field‬
  
• 
  Grace Norman – Paratriathlete‬
  

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