The 2026 ESPY Awards lit up Lincoln Center on Wednesday night and by the time the confetti settled, the New York Knicks had turned the ceremony into their own personal victory lap.
Jalen Brunson earned three individual honours, including Best Championship Performance, for his 45-point effort in the title-clinching Game 5 win over the San Antonio Spurs. The Knicks also earned Best Team thanks to their championship run, with Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby joining Brunson on stage.
Jalen Brunson wins the 2026 ESPY Award for Best NBA Player 🏀
Watch The @ESPYS tonight at 8 PM ET on ABC & the ESPN App 🏆 pic.twitter.com/XvXx6xXfGV
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 15, 2026
Big Nights Outside the Court
Alysa Liu (Best Breakthrough Athlete) for her gold medal performance at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. A’ja Wilson (Best Female Athlete) for another successful season with the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA.
Myles Garrett, the pass rusher who went from Cleveland to the Rams, posted an NFL record 23 sacks last season and won the award for Best Record-Breaking Performance.
Shohei Ohtani’s performance in the NLCS against Milwaukee, which included three home runs and ten strikeouts, was named the year’s most noteworthy play.
One absence, however, generated headlines. Lionel Messi was up for Best Athlete and Best Soccer Player, but was busy helping Argentina beat England 2-1 in the World Cup semifinal in Atlanta instead of walking the red carpet.
Honouring Service and Bravery
There was a big emotional component to the evening as well. The Arthur Ashe Award for Courage was presented posthumously to former NBA center Jason Collins. T
The Jimmy V Award for Perseverance was presented to former MLB pitcher Jim Abbott. The Pat Tillman Award for Service was presented to Coast Guard rescue swimmer Scott Ruskan.
In his acceptance speech, Stephen Curry shared a touching moment with his wife as he accepted the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award to close out the tribute portion.
The event, hosted by comedian Marcello Hernandez, also featured performances from De La Soul, Ghostface Killah, Slick Rick and the Savannah Bananas, who brought a real party vibe to an already wonderful night
