ESPY Awards 2016: List of Nominees and Predictions for Event's Top Categories
It seems just about every decision in sports comes with a debate, so you can expect plenty of arguments when all the athletes come together for the 2016 ESPY Awards on Wednesday night.
The award show pits players, teams, coaches and specific events from just about every sport in the world against each other, trying to figure out which are the best of the best. While there won't likely be an agreement on most of these honors, this is all just part of the fun.
You can view the entire list of awards and nominees at ESPN.com, but here is a look at predictions for the most noteworthy categories heading into Wednesday's event.
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| Stephen Curry | Katie Ledecky | LeBron James | Karl-Anthony Towns |
| Cam Newton | Breanna Stewart | Von Miller | Jake Arrieta |
| Bryce Harper | Elena Delle Donne | Carli Lloyd | Conor McGregor |
| LeBron James | Simone Biles | Sidney Crosby | Chloe Kim |
| Christian McCaffrey | Holly Holm | Villanova vs. North Carolina | Nick Saban |
| Stephen Curry | Middle Tennessee St. | Cardinals vs. Packers | Ned Yost |
| Geno Auriemma | Roberta Vinci | Cavaliers vs. Warriors | Geno Auriemma |
| Jay Wright | |||
| Tyronn Lue | |||
| UConn Women's Basketball | |||
| Cleveland Cavaliers | Kansas City Royals | Alabama Football | |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | Denver Broncos | Villanova Basketball |
Notable Predictions
Best Male Athlete: Stephen Curry
While Stephen Curry didn't win the NBA championship, neither did fellow nominees Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers or Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals. The only athlete on the list who did win it all was Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James, but in a comparison between the two NBA players over the course of the year, Curry clearly comes out on top.
Curry had a historic season, leading the NBA in scoring (30.1 points per game), steals (2.1 per game) and free-throw shooting (90.8 percent) while breaking his own record of three-pointers made at 402.
This justified another unique honor:
"Golden State's Steph Curry is the first unanimous MVP in NBA history.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) May 10, 2016"
Beyond those stats, Curry was the leader and the best player for a team that set a new record with 73 wins in the regular season.
It's true the Golden State Warriors couldn't close out the magical season with a title, but if we are considering which of these athletes had the best year, Curry is the obvious option.
Best Female Athlete: Katie Ledecky
For sports like swimming and gymnastics, the general public doesn't pay attention until the Olympics. This means athletes like Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles will have to wait until August to get their true time in the spotlight.
However, both have been incredible in their respective sports even before the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Among the two, though, Ledecky gets the narrow edge due to her overall dominance.
The swimmer first turned heads at the 2012 Olympics when she won gold in the 800-meter freestyle at just 15 years old. Since then, she has blossomed into the best performer in the sport, sweeping gold in the 2015 world championships in five different events.
Ledecky became the first swimmer ever to win the 200-, 400-, 800- and 1,500-meter freestyle races, setting world records in three events.
Executive director of USA Swimming Chuck Wielgus had high praise of the 19-year-old swimmer, per Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post:
"We’re fortunate to be living in this age in our sport, the Ledecky era. I don’t think we’ve ever seen anybody like Katie before. And I think in the future we’re going to look back, and the sport’s history will be divided into pre-Katie and post-Katie. She’ll be this iconic figure by which all future distance and middle-distance swimmers will be measured.
"
After qualifying for Rio in four events, her impressive run could continue.
Best Team: UConn Women's Basketball
There were a number of quality teams this year that brought home championships, but no one in sports was more dominant than the UConn women's basketball team.
While Connecticut has had the best program in women's basketball for over a decade, it doesn't make its recent run any less impressive. The Huskies were not only a perfect 38-0—they beat opponents by an average of 39.7 points en route to the title.
Even the national championship game was decided by 31 points.
ESPN's Dick Vitale gave his thoughts on the team:
Head coach Geno Auriemma has built a program that is nearly unstoppable, while Breanna Stewart completed one of the best careers in the history of the sport.
Other teams might get more publicity, but the University of Connecticut women deserve this honor.
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