ESPY Award winners 2022: Results, highlights, best moments from the ESPYs

Kevin Skiver

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ESPY Award winners 2022: Results, highlights, best moments from the ESPYs image

The 2022 ESPYS are in the books, and although the schedule went a bit awry, it was still a night full of strong messages and emotional moments.

Title IX was referenced multiple times, and multiple athletes, namely host Stephen Curry and Best Play winner Megan Rapinoe, pleaded for the United States to bring WNBA star Brittney Griner home from her detainment in Russia.

Curry also gave the traditional opening monologue and had several skits throughout the night. He mocked plenty of NBA fans, including those of the Lakers, Celtics and Heat. At one point, he had the show "interrupted" by Draymond Green.

Among the other notable awards: Shohei Ohtani won best men's sports athlete and Katie Ledecky won best women's sports athlete. The Warriors won for best team.

MORE: How Stephen Curry's game show prepared him to host ESPY Awards

The Sporting News has a complete list of winners and notable moments.

ESPYS list of categories, nominees, winners, highlights

The night began with Curry's opening monologue, which had no shortage of jabs at teams and players around the NBA. He was even kind enough to offer Grant Williams a chance to wear one of his rings.

Later in the night, Draymond Green's podcast stole the show.

Finally, we saw some of the jokes that were left on the cutting room floor, including Curry claiming the Celtics as his child.

Jimmy V Award for Perseverance

Winner: Dick Vitale

Pat Tillman Award for Service

Winner: Gretchen Evans

Arthur Ashe Award for Courage

Winner: Vitali Klitschko

Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year

Winner: Denver Broncos

Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award

Winner: Albert Pujols

Best Athlete, Men's Sports

  • Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
  • Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
  • Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
  • Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

Winner: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels

Best Athlete, Women's Sports

  • Oksana Masters, cross country skiing, road cycling, biathlon
  • Sunisa Lee, gymnastics
  • Katie Ledecky, swimming
  • Candace Parker, basketball (Chicago Sky)

Winner: Katie Ledecky, swimming

Best Breakthrough Athlete

  • Trinity Rodman, Washington Spirit
  • Eileen Gu, skier
  • Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
  • Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies

Winner: Eileen Gu, skier

Best Record-Breaking Performance

  • Stephen Curry passes Ray Allen for most 3-pointers made in NBA history
  • Jocelyn Alo breaks Lauren Chamberlain’s record for most home runs in Division I softball history (96)
  • Allyson Felix, won her 11th career Olympic medal, surpassing Carl Lewis for the United States track and field record
  • Tom Brady becomes the NFL all-time passing yards leader, overtaking Drew Brees

Winner: Stephen Curry passes Ray Allen for most 3-pointers made in NBA history

Best Championship Performance

  • Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams, Super Bowl 56
  • Julianna Peña, UFC 269
  • Max Verstappen, F1, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
  • Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche, Stanley Cup Final

Winner: Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams, Super Bowl 56

Best Comeback Athlete

  • Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
  • Trey Mancini, Baltimore Orioles
  • Diamond DeShields, Phoenix Mercury
  • Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

Winner: Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors

Best Play

  • Corner kick goal by Megan Rapinoe
  • Justin Tucker NFL-record 66-yard field goal
  • Ja Morant poster dunk
  • Hansel Enmanuel play of the year

Winner: Corner kick goal by Megan Rapinoe

Best Team

  • Golden State Warriors, NBA
  • Chicago Sky, WNBA
  • Atlanta Braves, MLB
  • Los Angeles Rams, NFL
  • Oklahoma Sooners, NCAA softball
  • Georgia Bulldogs, NCAA football
  • Colorado Avalanche, NHL

Winner: Golden State Warriors, NBA

Best Olympian, Women's Sports

  • Sunisa Lee, gymnastics
  • Oksana Masters, cross country skiing, road cycling, biathlon
  • Katie Ledecky, swimming
  • Allyson Felix, track and field

Winner: Katie Ledecky, swimming

Best Olympian, Men's Sports

  • Nathan Chen, figure skating
  • Declan Farmer, sled hockey
  • Nick Mayhugh, track and field
  • Caeleb Dressel, swimming

Winner: Caeleb Dressel, swimming

Best Game

  • Kansas City Chiefs defeat Buffalo Bills in OT (AFC divisional round)
  • UConn defeats N.C. State in double OT (NCAA women’s basketball Elite Eight)
  • Kansas’ 16-point rally vs. North Carolina, the biggest comeback in championship game history (NCAA men's basketball championship game)
  • Bryce Young rallies Alabama to beat Auburn in four OTs (NCAA football)

Winner: Kansas City Chiefs defeat Buffalo Bills in OT (AFC divisional round)

Best College Athlete, Men's Sports

  • Bryce Young, Alabama football
  • Dante Polvara, Georgetown men’s soccer
  • Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga men’s basketball
  • Logan Wisnauskas, Maryland lacrosse

Winner: Bryce Young, Alabama football

Best College Athlete, Women's Sports

  • Aliyah Boston, South Carolina women’s basketball
  • Jaelin Howell, Florida State soccer
  • Jocelyn Alo, Oklahoma softball
  • Charlotte North, Boston College lacrosse

Winner: Jocelyn Alo, Oklahoma softball

Best International Athlete, Men's Soccer

  • Karim Benzema, Real Madrid
  • Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City
  • Sadio Mané, Liverpool
  • Kylian Mbappé, PSG

Winner: Kylian Mbappé, PSG

Best International Athlete, Women's Soccer

  • Alexia Putellas, Barcelona
  • Sam Kerr, Chelsea
  • Vivianne Miedema, Arsenal
  • Caroline Graham Hansen, Barcelona

Winner: Sam Kerr, Chelsea

Best NFL Player

  • Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
  • T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
  • Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

Winner: Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

Best MLB Player

  • Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
  • Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
  • Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
  • Jorge Soler, Atlanta Braves

Winner: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels

Best NHL Player

  • Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
  • Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
  • Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
  • Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers

Winner: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

Best Driver

  • Kyle Larson, NASCAR
  • Max Verstappen, F1
  • Steve Torrence, NHRA
  • Álex Palou, IndyCar

Winner: Kyle Larson, NASCAR

Best NBA Player

  • Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
  • Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
  • Luka Dončić, Dallas Mavericks
  • Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

Winner: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

Best WNBA Player

  • Jonquel Jones, Connecticut Sun
  • Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota Lynx
  • Skylar Diggins-Smith, Phoenix Mercury
  • Candace Parker, Chicago Sky

Winner: Candace Parker, Chicago Sky

Best Boxer

  • Tyson Fury
  • Shakur Stevenson
  • Katie Taylor
  • Mikaela Mayer

Winner: Tyson Fury

Best MMA Fighter

  • Alexander Volkanovski
  • Charles Oliveira
  • Kamaru Usman
  • Kayla Harrison

Winner: Charles Oliveira

Best Athlete, Men's Golf

  • Scottie Scheffler
  • Cameron Smith
  • Justin Thomas
  • Jon Rahm

Winner: Justin Thomas

Best Athlete, Women's Golf

  • Nelly Korda
  • Ko Jin-young
  • Lydia Ko
  • Minjee Lee

Winner: Nelly Korda

Best Athlete, Men's Tennis

  • Rafael Nadal
  • Dylan Alcott
  • Carlos Alcaraz
  • Felix Auger-Aliassime

Winner: Rafael Nadal

Best Athlete, Women's Tennis

  • Emma Raducanu
  • Ashleigh Barty
  • Iga Świątek
  • Leylah Fernandez

Winner: Emma Raducanu

Best Athlete, Men's Action Sports

  • Eli Tomac, supercross
  • Alex Hall, ski
  • Yuto Horigome, skateboard
  • Ayumu Hirano, snowboard

Winner: Eli Tomac, supercross

Best Athlete, Women's Action Sports

  • Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, snowboard
  • Eileen Gu, ski
  • Rayssa Leal, skateboard
  • Chloe Kim, snowboard

Winner: Eileen Gu, ski

Best Jockey

  • Flavien Prat
  • Irad Ortiz
  • Jose Ortiz
  • Joel Rosario

Winner: Jose Ortiz

Best Athlete with a Disability, Men's Sports

  • Declan Farmer, sled hockey
  • Nick Mayhugh, track and field
  • Brad Snyder, paratriathlon & Swimming
  • Ian Seidenfeld, table tennis

Winner: Brad Snyder, paratriathlon & swimming

Best Athlete with a Disability, Women's Sports

  • Oksana Masters, cycling & Nordic/biathlon
  • Jessica Long, swimming
  • Brenna Huckaby, snowboarding
  • Kate Ward, soccer

Winner: Jessica Long, swimming

Best Bowler

  • Jason Belmonte
  • Anthony Simonsen
  • Kyle Troup
  • Dom Barrett

Winner: Kyle Troup

Best MLS PLayer

  • Valentin Castellanos, NYCFC
  • Jesús Ferreira, FC Dallas
  • Carles Gil, New England Revolution
  • Carlos Vela, LAFC

Winner: Carlos Vela, LAFC

Best NWSL Player

  • Ashley Hatch, Washington Spirit
  • Aubrey Bledsoe, Washington Spirit
  • Jess Fishlock, OL Reign
  • Caprice Dydasco, NJ/NY Gotham FC

Winner: Ashley Hatch, Washington Spirit

Best WWE Moment

MATCH 1

  • Brock Lesnar wins Royal Rumble
  • Bianca Belair wins "Raw" women’s championship at WrestleMania

MATCH 2

  • John Cena returns at Money In The Bank
  • Ronda Rousey returns four months after giving birth to win Royal Rumble

MATCH 3

  • WWE welcomes back fans with a full live crowd ("Smackdown," July 16)
  • Stone Cold stuns Vince McMahon, Austin Theory, and Pat McAfee on WrestleMania Night 2

MATCH 4

  • Roman Reigns defeats Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania to win both the Universal and WWE championships
  • Cody Rhodes returns to WWE at WrestleMania

MATCH 5

  • Big E cashes in Money In The Bank briefcase and wins the WWE Championship ("Raw," Sept. 13)
  • The Miz turns on Logan Paul at WrestleMania

MATCH 6

  • Becky Lynch returns at SummerSlam
  • Undertaker inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame

MATCH 7

  • Edge defeats Seth Rollins in a Hell In A Cell match at Crown Jewel
  • Wee man body slams Sami Zayn at WrestleMani

MATCH 8

  • Brock Lesnar returns at SummerSlam to confront Roman Reigns
  • Stone Cold returns to the ring to defeat Kevin Owens at WrestleMania

Winner: Cody Rhodes returns to WWE at WrestleMania

Kevin Skiver

Kevin Skiver Photo

Kevin Skiver has been a content producer at Sporting News since 2021. He previously worked at CBS Sports as a trending topics writer, and now writes various pieces on MLB, the NFL, the NBA, and college sports. He enjoys hiking and eating, not necessarily in that order.