Jalen Brunson and A'ja Wilson lead the 2026 ESPYS winners
ESPN’s 2026 ESPYS winners list gave Jalen Brunson, A’ja Wilson, Shohei Ohtani and the New York Knicks top honors Wednesday.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
Jalen Brunson stacked up the hardware at the 2026 ESPYS, with ESPN listing the New York Knicks guard as a winner in three separate categories Wednesday.
According to ESPN’s winners list for the awards show, presented by Capital One, Brunson won Best Championship Performance, Best NBA Player and Best Athlete in Men’s Sports. His Knicks also took Best Team, while teammate OG Anunoby won Best Play.
A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces led the women’s side, with ESPN naming her Best WNBA Player and Best Athlete in Women’s Sports.
The ESPYS, first broadcast in 1993, also support the V Foundation for Cancer Research. ESPN said it has helped raise more than $292 million for the foundation over the past 33 years.
Major ESPYS winners
- Best Championship Performance: Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
- Best Athlete, Men’s Sports: Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
- Best Athlete, Women’s Sports: A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
- Best Team: New York Knicks
- Best NBA Player: Jalen Brunson
- Best WNBA Player: A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
- Best MLB Player: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Best NFL Player: Myles Garrett
- Best NHL Player: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
- Best Soccer Player: Lionel Messi, Inter Miami CF
- Best Golfer: Scottie Scheffler
- Best Tennis Player: Carlos Alcaraz
- Best Driver: Lando Norris, F1
- Best Fighter: Terence Crawford, boxing
Baseball star Shohei Ohtani also appeared twice on ESPN’s list, winning Best Single-Game Performance along with Best MLB Player. Myles Garrett was named Best Record-Breaking Performance and Best NFL Player.
College, breakthrough and comeback honors
- Best Breakthrough Athlete: Alysa Liu, U.S. figure skating
- Best College Athlete, Men’s Sports: Fernando Mendoza, Indiana football
- Best College Athlete, Women’s Sports: Lauren Betts, UCLA women’s basketball
- Best Comeback Athlete: Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
- Best Athlete with a Disability: Declan Farmer, Paralympic hockey
- Gatorade Players of the Year: Maddie DiMaria and Grady Emerson
ESPN also listed several special award recipients, including Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, who received the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award.
Special awards
- Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
- Jimmy V Award for Perseverance: Jim Abbott
- Pat Tillman Award for Service: Scott Ruskan, U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer
- Arthur Ashe Courage Award: Jason Collins
- Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award: Kelis Armstrong, Julia Howe and Samuel Phillips
Scott Ruskan’s honor was tied by ESPN to his work as a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. ESPN’s broadcast material described his story as involving the saving of 165 lives during Texas floods.
The winners list stretched across the biggest American pro leagues, global soccer, tennis, golf, racing, boxing, Olympic sports, Paralympic hockey and college athletics, giving Brunson, Wilson, Ohtani and the Knicks some of the night’s biggest repeat mentions.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.