The 2026 ESPYS Best Athlete, Men's Sports award comes down to four nominees: Jalen Brunson, Lionel Messi, Shohei Ohtani and Matthew Stafford, each carrying a signature season into a fan-and-media vote that has crowned a men's champion every year since 1993. Ohtani already owns one of these trophies from his 2022 win. The winner is announced live on July 15, 2026, and the live board above tracks where every nominee stands.
The 2026 ESPYS hand out Best Athlete, Men's Sports on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, and the four-name ballot reads like a cross-sport all-star team. Jalen Brunson, Lionel Messi, Shohei Ohtani and Matthew Stafford are the nominees, each carrying a signature 2025-26 season into a vote of fans and media that has named a men's champion every year since 1993. Kalshi's board treats Brunson as the runaway favorite after his championship run in New York. The live board above tracks every nominee's current price.
Four athletes made the ballot, and each has a real case for the 2026 ESPYS Best Athlete, Men's Sports award.
### Jalen Brunson
Brunson is the chalk for one reason: he ended a 53-year wait. He led the New York Knicks to their first NBA title since 1973 and averaged 32.6 points per game across the Finals run. ESPYS voting rewards the biggest story in a popularity vote, and a first championship in more than five decades for the league's most-watched franchise is exactly that. Brunson is also up for the 2026 ESPY Best NBA Player odds, and the board reflects the same read on both.
### Shohei Ohtani
Ohtani is the only nominee in this field who has already won this award, taking Best Athlete, Men's Sports in 2022. He is nominated again for Best MLB Player, a race he has dominated for five straight years, and his two-way profile keeps him in every conversation voters have. Name recognition is a real asset in a fan vote. Track the companion race on the 2026 ESPY Best MLB Player odds.
### Lionel Messi
Messi's case is a career resume as much as a single season. He is playing in his sixth World Cup, the most of any player in the tournament's history, and he remains soccer's global draw with Inter Miami. In a vote that rewards name recognition and narrative, Messi is the field's wild card, capable of drawing a fan base larger than any American league can match.
### Matthew Stafford
Stafford authored the year's best age-defying story. In his 17th season he led the NFL in passing yards and passing touchdowns and won his first career MVP at age 37, making him the oldest player in league history to win a first MVP. On a stacked ballot he is the long shot, but the MVP hardware is real and the résumé arc is the kind ESPYS voters have honored before.
The award dates to the first ESPYS in 1993 and ran for most of its history as Best Male Athlete before ESPN rebranded it Best Athlete, Men's Sports in the early 2020s. The recent honor roll is a who's who: Stephen Curry took it in 2015 after his first MVP and Warriors title, then LeBron James won in 2016 following Cleveland's championship. Russell Westbrook won in 2017 on the back of his triple-double MVP season, Alexander Ovechkin broke the basketball run in 2018 after Washington's Stanley Cup, and Giannis Antetokounmpo won in 2019. The award was not handed out in 2020, when the pandemic-era ceremony dropped its competitive athlete categories. Tom Brady won in 2021 after his seventh Super Bowl, Shohei Ohtani took the trophy in 2022, and Patrick Mahomes went back-to-back in 2023 and 2024. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won most recently, in 2025, after leading Oklahoma City to the title and claiming league MVP. Basketball players have won this category more than athletes from any other sport, which frames Brunson's 2026 case nicely.
The market resolves on the night of the ceremony, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. The ESPYS air live at 8pm ET on ABC, with the show returning to New York at Lincoln Center and comedian Marcello Hernández hosting for the first time. The winner is decided by a combined vote of fans and media, announced live during the telecast, and the market settles to whichever nominee is named. There is no statistical formula and no appeal window. The on-air announcement is the single source of truth.
Five forces shape the 2026 ESPYS Best Athlete, Men's Sports race.
The men's award is one node in a full ESPYS board. Compare the companion race on the 2026 ESPY Best Athlete, Women's Sports odds, or follow the sport-specific ballots that overlap with this field: the 2026 ESPY Best NFL Player odds featuring Stafford, the 2026 ESPY Best Soccer Player odds with Messi, and the 2026 ESPY Best NHL Player odds. The 2026 ESPY Best Team odds round out the night, and the full slate of sports prediction markets covers everything else on the board.
The market resolves to the nominee named Best Athlete, Men's Sports during the 2026 ESPYS, which air live on July 15, 2026 at 8pm ET on ABC from Lincoln Center in New York. The winner is chosen by a combined vote of fans and media and announced on the telecast, which serves as the source of truth. Each nominee has a separate contract that pays $1 per share if that athlete wins and $0 if not. In the rare event the award is shared, as it was in 1998 between Tiger Woods and Ken Griffey Jr., a tie contract on the board resolves the split. If the ceremony is postponed past the resolution date or canceled, the market settles under each platform's standard event rules.
As of July 11, 2026, Kalshi's board makes Jalen Brunson the clear favorite at 66c after leading the Knicks to their first title since 1973, ahead of Lionel Messi at 24c and Shohei Ohtani at 17c. Matthew Stafford rounds out the four-nominee field.
The market resolves on July 15, 2026, when the winner is announced live during the ESPYS telecast at 8pm ET on ABC. The vote is decided by fans and media, and the on-air announcement is the source of truth.
The award trades on Kalshi, where each nominee has a separate yes contract, and the four nominees are also listed on Polymarket. The live board above shows every contract in one place.
The four nominees are Jalen Brunson (NBA), Lionel Messi (soccer), Shohei Ohtani (MLB) and Matthew Stafford (NFL). Ohtani is the only one who has already won this award, taking it in 2022.
Watch fan-vote momentum in the final days before the July 15, 2026 telecast, since ESPYS winners are chosen by popularity rather than statistics. Brunson's championship narrative and Ohtani's name recognition are the two forces most likely to move the race.