LeBron James, Patrick Mahomes, Angel Reese Headline Nominees for 2023 ESPY Awards

There aren't many places where athletes such as Nikola Jokić, Angel Reese, LeBron James, Patrick Mahomes, Mikaela Shiffrin and Lionel Messi compete against each other.

ESPN's ESPYs is one of those places.

ESPN announced the nominees for this year's annual award show, which will air on July 12 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Fans can vote for the awards at ESPN.com/ESPYS.

Here is a look at the award categories this year:

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Best Athlete, Men's Sports

• Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

• Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

• Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

• Lionel Messi, Argentina

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Best Athlete, Women's Sports

• Mikaela Shiffrin, Ski

• Sophia Smith, Portland Thorns

• Iga Świątek, Tennis

• A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

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Best Breakthrough Athlete

• Caitlin Clark, Iowa Women's Basketball

• Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

• Angel Reese, LSU Women's Basketball

• Julio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners

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Best Record-Breaking Performance

• Novak Djokovic's 23rd Grand Slam title

• LeBron James' NBA career scoring record

• Mikaela Shiffrin's 87th World Cup victory

• Max Verstappen's most wins in an F1 season

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Best Team

• Denver Nuggets, NBA

• Georgia Bulldogs, NCAA Football

• Kansas City Chiefs, NFL

• Las Vegas Aces, WNBA

• Louisiana State Tigers, NCAA Women's Basketball

• Oklahoma Sooners, NCAA Softball

• Vegas Golden Knights, NHL

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Best Championship Performance

• Leon Edwards victory over Kamaru Usman, UFC
• Nikola Jokić, 2023 NBA Finals MVP
  
• Lionel Messi, Argentina World Cup victory
  
• Rose Zhang playoff victory over Jennifer Kupcho, LPGA
  

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Best Comeback Athlete

• Jon Jones, UFC
• Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
  
• Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun
  
• Justin Verlander, Current New York Mets/Houston Astros
  

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Best Play

• Michael Block hole-in-one, PGA
• Justin Jefferson one-handed catch, NFL
• Ally Lemos corner kick to tie NCAA championship game, NCAA soccer
• Trinity Thomas perfect 10 to tie NCAA record, NCAA gymnastics 
  

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Best College Athlete, Men's Sports

• Zach Edey, Purdue Basketball
• Duncan McGuire, Creighton Soccer
• Brennan O'Neill, Duke Lacrosse
• Caleb Williams, USC Football

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Best College Athlete, Women's Sports

• Jordy Bahl, Oklahoma Softball
• Caitlin Clark, Iowa Women's Basketball
• Izzy Scane, Northwestern Lacrosse
• Trinity Thomas, Florida Gators Gymnastics

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Best Athlete with a Disability

• Erica McKee, Sled Hockey Team
• Zach Miller, Snowboarding
• Aaron Pike, Wheelchair Racing & Cross-Country Skiing
• Susannah Scaroni, Wheelchair Racing

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Best NFL Player

• Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers
• Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
• Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
• Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

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Best MLB Player

• Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals
• Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
• Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
• Justin Verlander, Houston Astros

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Best NHL Player

• Jonathan Marchessault, Vegas Golden Knights
• Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
• David Pastrňák, Boston Bruins
• Linus Ullmark, Boston Bruins

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Best NBA Player

• Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
• Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
• Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
• Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

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Best WNBA Player

• Skylar Diggins-Smith, Phoenix Mercury
• Candace Parker, Chicago Sky (Current Las Vegas Aces)
• Breanna Stewart, Seattle Storm (Current New York Liberty)
• A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

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Best Driver

• Brittany Force, NHRA
• Kyle Larson, NASCAR
• Josef Newgarden, IndyCar
• Max Verstappen, F1

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Best UFC Fighter

• Leon Edwards
• Jon Jones
• Islam Makhachev
• Amanda Nunes

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Best Boxer

• Gervonta Davis
• Devin Haney
• Claressa Shields
• Shakur Stevenson

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Best Soccer Player

• Aitana Bonmatí, Spain/Barcelona
• Erling Haaland, Norway/Manchester City
• Lionel Messi, Argentina/PSG
• Sophia Smith, USWNT/Portland Thorns

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Best Golfer

• Wyndham Clark
• Nelly Korda
• Jon Rahm
• Scottie Scheffler

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Best Tennis Player

• Carlos Alcaraz
• Novak Djokovic
• Aryna Sabalenka
• Iga Świątek

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While James is no stranger to ESPYs nominations, this is the first time he has been included in the best record-breaking performance category throughout his legendary NBA career.

James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's previous record of 38,387 career NBA points during a February game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The game was stopped, and James was joined by the previous record-holder during a ceremony on the court in front of the Los Angeles Lakers fans.

The King isn't the only notable first-timer in a category.

A'ja Wilson, Sophia Smith and Iga Świątek are all first-time nominees in the best athlete in women's sports category. They will be going up against a veteran of the category, as three-time nominee Shiffrin will be looking to take home the award.

Elsewhere, Aaron Judge and Messi are first-time nominees in the best athlete in men's sports category and will face two-time nominees Jokíć and Mahomes.

As for the best team category, it is difficult to distinguish between a list of champions in different sports and at different levels. Yet the Oklahoma Sooners softball team earned a nod against champions such as the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Nuggets after an incredible run.

Oklahoma won its third consecutive national championship with a victory over Florida State earlier this month and extended its winning streak to an incredible 53 games in the process.

The Sooners already made history. Now they will try to take home an ESPYs award as well.