LOS ANGELES — The sports world will gather in one spot for the 2024 ESPY Awards hosted by tennis legend Serena Williams.
This will be the first time Williams, who has won 12 ESPY Awards, will host the event from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Here’s what you need to know.
What are the ESPY Awards?
The ESPY Awards first aired in 1993 as a way to raise money for the V Foundation for Cancer Research. Late basketball coach Jim Valvano founded the charity and his “Don’t Give Up” speech at the first awards show still serves as a motto for it.
How can I watch the ESPYs?
The 2024 ESPYS will air Thursday on Channel 2 at 8 p.m. ET. The show will lead up to WSB Tonight at 11 p.m.
Who’s being honored at the ESPYs?
The Arthur Ashe Award for Courage will go to former NFL safety Steve Gleason for his contributions to ALS awareness. The former New Orleans Saints player was diagnosed with the disease in 2011.
University of South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley will receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance. Staley and the Gamecocks won the 2024 national championship
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, will receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service.
Who’s presenting at the ESPY Awards?
Quinta Brunson, Nikki Glaser, Rob Lowe, Paige Bueckers, Draymond Green, Lindsey Vonn, Flau’jae Johnson, GloRilla, Allyson Felix, Damar Hamlin, Candace Parker, Brian Tyree Henry, Ryan Blaney and more are among the athletes and celebrities presenting.
What athletes and teams are nominated for an ESPY Award?
BEST ATHLETE, MEN’S SPORTS
- Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
- Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels / Los Angeles Dodgers
- Scottie Scheffler, Golf
- Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
BEST ATHLETE, WOMEN’S SPORTS
- Caitlin Clark, Iowa Women’s Basketball
- Coco Gauff, Tennis
- Nelly Korda, Golf
- A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE
- Haleigh Bryant, LSU Gymnastics
- J. Stroud, Houston Texans
- Juju Watkins, USC Women’s Basketball
- Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
BEST RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE
- 49ers Christian McCaffrey scores a TD for a record breaking 17 straight games
- Caitlin Clark becomes NCAA’s All Time Scoring Leader breaking Pete Maravich’s Record
- Tara VanDerveer, Stanford Women’s Basketball – gets 1,203rd win to pass Coach K for most by any coach in NCAA basketball history
- Max Verstappen wins record 10th consecutive race with victory at Italian Grand Prix
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE
- Michigan’s Blake Corum and Will Johnson, 2024 College Football National Championship MVPs
- Kayla Martello, Boston College Women’s Lacrosse
- Midge Purce, NJ/NY Gotham FC – NWSL Championship MVP
- Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
BEST COMEBACK ATHLETE
- Simone Biles, Gymnast
- Paige Bueckers, University of Connecticut Women’s Basketball
- Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns
- Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
BEST PLAY
- Jayda Coleman calls GAME sending Oklahoma to their 4th Straight Championship (6/4/24)
- Anthony Edwards Dunk of the Year (3/18/24)
- Alabama scores on 4th & 31 to win Auburn (11/25/23)
- Lamar Jackson Caught His Own Pass & Ran With it (1/28/24)
BEST TEAM
- South Carolina Gamecocks, NCAA Women’s Basketball
- Kansas City Chiefs, NFL
- Michigan Wolverines, NCAA Football
- Las Vegas Aces, WNBA
- University of Connecticut Huskies, NCAA Men’s Basketball
- Oklahoma Sooners, NCAA Softball
- Boston Celtics, NBA
- Florida Panthers, NHL
- Texas Rangers, MLB
BEST COLLEGE ATHLETE, MEN’S SPORTS
- Jayden Daniels, LSU Football
- Zach Edey, Purdue Men’s Basketball
- Ousmane Sylla, Clemson Soccer
- Pat Kavanagh, Notre Dame Lacrosse
BEST COLLEGE ATHLETE, WOMEN’S SPORTS
- Haleigh Bryant, LSU Gymnastics
- Caitlin Clark, Iowa Basketball
- Sarah Franklin, Wisconsin Volleyball
- Izzy Scane, Northwestern Lacrosse
BEST ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY
- Jaydin Blackwell, World Champion Sprinter
- Ezra Frech, World Champion High Jumper
- Brenna Huckaby, Snowboarding Champion
- Oksana Masters, Cross-Country Skier/Hand Cyclist
BEST NFL PLAYER
- Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns
- Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
- Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
- Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
BEST MLB PLAYER
- Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves
- Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees
- Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
- Corey Seager, Texas Rangers
BEST NHL PLAYER
- Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
- Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
- Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
BEST NBA PLAYER
- Luka Dončić, Dallas Mavericks
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
- Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
BEST WNBA PLAYER
- Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx
- Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty
- Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun
- A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
BEST DRIVER
- Ryan Blaney, NASCAR
- Matt Hagan, NHRA
- Álex Palou, IndyCar
- Max Verstappen, F1
BEST UFC FIGHTER
- Islam Makhachev
- Sean O’Malley
- Alex Pereira
- Zhang Weili
BEST BOXER
- Terence Crawford
- Seniesa Estrada
- Naoya Inoue
- Oleksandr Usyk
BEST SOCCER PLAYER
- Aitana Bonmatí, Spain
- Naomi Girma, USWNT
- Vinicius Junior, Brazil/Real Madrid
- Kylian Mbappé, France/Real Madrid
BEST GOLFER
- Nelly Korda
- Xander Schauffele
- Scottie Scheffler
- Lilia Vu
BEST TENNIS PLAYER
- Carlos Alcaraz
- Novak Djokovic
- Coco Gauff
- Iga Swiatek
Information from ABC and ESPN was used in this report.