By: Davyn Horton
The 2025 ESPY Awards are in the books. An annual celebration of the greatest individuals and moments from the world of sports in the past year, the ESPYs honor the best of the best. Awards and speeches given, and so much more. All in all, the celebration of the last year in sports is beloved by all, and will continue to be as long as sports remain a past time of the world’s population.
The Moment Sports Were Transcended
In a special and emotional on-stage moment, actress Angela Bassett presented Los Angeles County firefighters David Walters and Erin Regan with the Pat Tillman Award for Service. This is due to their service, alongside countless other firefighters and first responders, during the large wildfires in Los Angeles County and other places in California that occurred in early 2025.
ESPN recgonizes what Walters, Regan, and all the first responders went through to fight for their communities. They chose to honor them at their big awards night, for all they did, and all that they continue to do for their communities every single day.
ESPY Award Winners Recap
In short, many will find the ESPY Award winners to not be a surprise. For example, gymnast Simone Biles took home the award for Best Championship Performance. This is for her performance at last year’s Summer Olympics. However, what is a surprise is the fact that Biles also took home the award for Best Women’s Sports Athlete. Caitlin Clark of the WNBA was considered to be a favorite for the award. However, it ultimately went to Biles. Clark did end up winning Best WNBA Player.
Meanwhile, on the men’s sports side, Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley won Best NFL Player and Best Play. The latter award is for his incredible backwards hurdle during a regular season game between the Eagles and the Jacksonville Jaguars. In addition, Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers won Best MLB Player. On top of that, Max Verstappen won Best Driver. Neither of these come as a surprise, as most consider them the best of the best in their respective sports.
All in all, the 2025 ESPY Awards were a massive success. The annual celebration of the best of the best in the world of sports did exactly what it was meant for, and so much more.
Every 2025 ESPY Awards Winner
In short, each and every winner has a unique story to tell. In addition, each and every winner has worked so hard, to get to this point of representing their sports at the ESPYs.
As a matter of fact, check below for the full list of winners:
Best Championship Performance: Simone Biles, Olympic gymnastics all-around
Best Play: Saquon Barkley’s backwards hurdle
Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award: Sloane Stephens
Best Breakthrough Athlete: Ilona Maher, USA Rugby
Capital One Cup Winners: UNC women and Ohio State men
Jimmy V Award for Perseverance: Katie Schumacher-Cawley
Icon Award: Alex Morgan and Diana Taurasi
Best Athlete – Women’s Sports: Simone Biles, USA Gymnastics
Pat Tillman Award for Service: Los Angeles County firefighters David Walters and Erin Regan
Gatorade Players of the Year: Jane Hedengren and Cameron Boozer
Best Comeback Athlete: Suni Lee, USA Gymnastics
Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award: Rishin Tandon, Maegha Ramanathan and Ian Waite
Arthur Ashe Award for Courage: Oscar Robertson
Best Athlete – Men’s Sports: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Best Record-Breaking Performance: Alexander Ovechkin, NHL all-time goals leader
Best Team: Philadelphia Eagles, NFL
Best NBA Player: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Best WNBA Player: Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
Best College Athlete – Men’s Sports: Cooper Flagg, Duke men’s basketball
Best College Athlete – Women’s Sports: JuJu Watkins, USC women’s basketball
Best Athlete with a Disability: Noah Elliott, Para Snowboarding
Best NFL Player: Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles
Best MLB Player: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers
Best NHL Player: Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
Best Driver: Max Verstappen, F1
Best UFC Fighter: Merab Dvalishvili
Best Boxer: Katie Taylor
Best Soccer Player: Christian Pulisic, AC Milan, USMNT
Best Golfer: Scottie Scheffler
Best Tennis Player: Coco Gauff
2025 ESPY Awards In Review
In conclusion, the 2025 ESPY Awards have come and gone. With that, one of the biggest celebrations of sports has completed another year. All in all, sports keep people happy. In addition, they allow distractions from the world around them. In short, the ESPYs are the true celebration of the sports many hold so near and dear to their hearts, no matter where they are in the world.