2016 ESPY Nominees: LeBron James and Stephen Curry Face off Again

After meeting in the NBA Finals, both basketball stars are nominated for Best Male Athlete at the July 13 awards show

lebron james steph curry

As if the thrilling NBA Finals weren’t exciting enough, Stephen Curry and LeBron James will be going head-to-head once again at the ESPYS next month.

The Golden State Warrior’s top player and Cleveland’s hometown hero are both nominated for the Best Male Athlete Award. Curry took the title in 2015 when both he and James were also nominated.

Carolina Panthers’ quarterback Cam Newton and Washington Nationals’ right fielder Bryce Harper are also in the running for that category.

WNBA star Breanna Stewart is nominated for the Best Female Athlete category for the third time, and while Serena Williams will not be joining Stewart in that bracket this year, she is still in the running to receive an ESPY award for Best Female Tennis Player.

Snowboarding phenomena Chloe Kim battles Irish UFC star Conor McGregor as they both fight to be the first in their sport to win Best Breakthrough Athlete. Meanwhile, Team USA star Carli Lloyd could become the first soccer player ever to be nominated for Best Championship Performance.

WWE Superstar John Cena will be hosting the 24th annual star-studded event to commemorate this year’s sports achievements, major upsets and unforgettable moments. The ESPYS will air live  from Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on ABC on Wednesday, July 13, at 8 p.m. ET.

Fans are now able to cast their vote for their favorite athletes at ESPYS.com up until the start of the event.

Below is the list of all the nominees.

BEST MALE ATHLETE
Stephen Curry
Cam Newton
Bryce Harper
LeBron James

BEST FEMALE ATHLETE
Breanna Stewart
Elena Delle Donne
Katie Ledecky
Simone Biles

BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE
Von Miller – Super Bowl
Carli Lloyd – World Cup Final
Sidney Crosby – Stanley Cup Playoffs
LeBron James – NBA Finals

BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE
Jake Arrieta
Conor McGregor
Chloe Kim
Karl-Anthony Towns

BEST RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE
Stephen Curry – single season three-pointers made
Geno Auriemma – most NCAA basketball titles in D1 history (11)
Christian McCaffery – single season NCAAF all-purpose yards

BEST UPSET
Holly Holm knocks out Ronda Rousey – UFC
Middle Tennessee over Michigan State – Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament
Roberta Vinci over Serena Williams – US Open

BEST GAME
Villanova vs. North Carolina – Men’s NCAA Basketball Final
Arizona Cardinals vs. Green Bay Packers – NFL Divisional Round
Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers – NBA Finals Game 7

BEST PLAY (16 NOMINEES VOTED BRACKET-STYLE)

  1. Aaron Rodgers Hail Mary vs. 16. Crazy 66-yard Ole Miss’ TD
  2. Kris Jenkins buzzer beater vs. 15. Connor McDavid goal
  3. Michigan St punt block TD vs. 14. Stanford trick play w/ circus catch
  4. LeBron Game 7 block vs. 13. Louis Oosthuizen hole-in-one off of ball
  5. Steph Curry 38-foot game-winner vs. 12. Army softball player leaps over tag
  6. Holly Holm knockout of Ronda Rousey vs. 11. Bartolo Colon first home run
  7. Tiffany Howard HR robbery WCWS vs. 10. Josh Donaldson diving into stands
  8. Jairo Samerio scores on scissor-kick ground vs. 9. Dele Alli juggling goal for Tottenham

 

BEST TEAM
Cleveland Cavaliers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Kansas City Royals
Denver Broncos
Alabama Crimson Tide
UConn Huskies
Villanova Wildcats

BEST COACH/MANAGER
Ned Yost – Kansas City Royals
Geno Auriemma – UConn Huskies
Jay Wright – Villanova Wildcats
Nick Saban – Alabama Crimson Tide
Tyronn Lue – Cleveland Cavaliers

BEST INTERNATIONAL ATHLETE
Cristiano Ronaldo
Novak Djokovic
Lydia Ko
Luis Suarez
Canelo Alvarez

BEST NFL PLAYER
Cam Newton
Tom Brady
JJ Watt
Antonio Brown
Julio Jones

BEST MLB PLAYER
Bryce Harper
Josh Donaldson
Jake Arrieta
Mike Trout
Clayton Kershaw

BEST NHL PLAYER
Patrick Kane
Alex Ovechkin
Sidney Crosby
Joe Pavelski
Braden Holtby

BEST DRIVER
Kyle Busch
Lewis Hamilton
Erica Enders-Stevens
Scott Dixon
Alexander Rossi

BEST NBA PLAYER
Stephen Curry
Kawhi Leonard
LeBron James
Kevin Durant
Russell Westbrook

BEST WNBA PLAYER
Elena Delle Donne
Maya Moore
Angel McCoughtry
Tina Charles
DeWanna Bonner

BEST FIGHTER
Conor McGregor
Gennady Golovkin
Canelo Alvarez
Robbie Lawler
Roman Gonzalez

BEST MALE GOLFER
Jason Day
Dustin Johnson
Danny Willett
Jordan Spieth

BEST FEMALE GOLFER
Lydia Ko
Inbee Park
Brooke Henderson
Ariya Jutanugarn

BEST MALE TENNIS PLAYER
Novak Djokovic
Andy Murray
Roger Federer

BEST FEMALE TENNIS PLAYER
Angelique Kerber
Flavia Pennetta
Serena Williams
Garbine Muguruza

BEST MALE COLLEGE ATHLETE
Derrick Henry
Buddy Hield
Jordan Morris
Jarrion Lawson
Alex Dieringer

BEST FEMALE COLLEGE ATHLETE
Breanna Stewart
Raquel Rodriguez
Samantha Bricio
Taylor Cummings
Sierra Romero

BEST MALE ACTION SPORTS ATHLETE
Ryan Dungey
Gus Kenworthy
Nyjah Huston
Pedro Barros
Mark McMorris

BEST FEMALE ACTION SPORTS ATHLETE

Chloe Kim
Keala Kennelly
Jamie Anderson
Carissa Moore

BEST JOCKEY
Mario Gutierrez
Kent Desormeaux
Javier Castellano
Irad Ortiz Jr.

BEST MALE ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY
Richard Browne
Joe Berenyi
Aaron Fotheringham
Nikko Landeros
Brad Snyder

BEST FEMALE ATHLETE WITH A DISABILITY
Tatyana McFadden
Heather Erickson
Oksana Masters
Bethany Hamilton
Shawn Morelli

BEST BOWLER
Jason Belmonte
Jesper Svensson
Ryan Ciminelli
Anthony Simonsen

BEST MLS PLAYER
Sebastian Giovinco
Kei Kamara
Laurent Ciman
Luis Robles

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