Best Breakthrough Athlete ESPY Award
Awarded forbest national or international breakthrough in the world of individual and team sports
LocationDolby Theatre, Los Angeles (2023)
Presented byESPN
First awarded1993
Currently held byAngel Reese (USA)
Websitewww.espn.co.uk/espys/

The Best Breakthrough Athlete ESPY Award, known alternatively as the Breakthrough Athlete of the Year ESPY Award,[1] is an annual award honoring the achievements of an individual in the world of sports.[2] It was first awarded as part of the ESPY Awards in 1993.[2] The Best Breakthrough Athlete ESPY Award trophy, created by sculptor Lawrence Nowlan,[3] is awarded to the sportsperson adjudged to have made the greatest breakthrough in a major international individual sport or North American professional team sport. The award is typically given to a sportsperson in his or her rookie season at a given level but may be won by any athlete who in a given year improves his or her performance dramatically or otherwise becomes well-recognized.[2] Since 2004, the winner has been chosen by online voting through choices selected by the ESPN Select Nominating Committee.[4] Before that, determination of the winners was made by an panel of experts.[5] Through the 2001 iteration of the ESPY Awards, ceremonies were conducted in February of each year to honor achievements over the previous calendar year; awards presented thereafter are conferred in July and reflect performance from the June previous.[lower-alpha 1][6]

The inaugural winner of the Best Breakthrough Athlete ESPY Award in 1993 was San Diego Pardres outfielder Gary Sheffield.[1][7] The Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Hideo Nomo of Japan received the trophy in 1996,[8] and is one of two sports persons born outside of the United States to have received the award, the other being Dominican Republican left fielder and second baseman Alfonso Soriano of the New York Yankees in 2003. Additionally, 2022 winner Eileen Gu was born in America, but competed for China.[9] Gu is one of two women to win the award, the other being Mo'ne Davis of the Little League Baseball team Anderson Monarchs in 2015.[10] American football players have been most successful at the awards with eleven victories and thirteen nominations, followed by baseball players with eight wins and ten nominations. No athlete has ever won the accolade more than once. The award was not awarded in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Winners and nominees

Best Breakthrough Athlete ESPY Award winners and nominees
Year Image Athlete Nationality Team Competition Sport Nominees Refs
1993 Gary Sheffield holding his baseball helmet at a game in 2005 Gary Sheffield  USA San Diego Padres Major League Baseball Baseball Fred Couples ( USA) – Golf
Jim Courier ( USA) – Tennis
Barry Foster ( USA) – Pittsburgh Steelers		 [1][7]
1994 Mike Piazza before the start of the 2016 Baseball Hall of Fame Mike Piazza  USA Los Angeles Dodgers Major League Baseball Baseball — [11]
1995 Jeff Bagwell walking on a baseball pitch in 2009 Jeff Bagwell  USA Houston Astros Major League Baseball Baseball Ernie Els ( RSA) – Golf
Tommy Moe ( USA) – Skiing		 [12][13]
1996 Hideo Nomo at a baseball training pitch in 2011 Hideo Nomo  JPN Los Angeles Dodgers Major League Baseball Baseball Jeff Blake ( USA) –Cincinnati Bengals
Martin Brodeur ( CAN) – New Jersey Devils		 [8][14]
1997 Tiger Woods speaking to the media at a press conference in 2009 Tiger Woods  USA — PGA Tour Golf Mariano Rivera ( PAN) – New York Yankees
Alex Rodriguez ( USA) – Seattle Mariners		 [15][16]
1998 Nomar Garciaparra talking to a journalist in 2010 Nomar Garciaparra  USA Boston Red Sox Major League Baseball Baseball — [17]
1999 Randy Moss before a pre-season game with the New England Patriots in 2009 Randy Moss  USA Minnesota Vikings National Football League American football — [18]
2000 Kurt Warner at a pre-game event in 2004 Kurt Warner  USA St. Louis Rams National Football League American football Sergio García ( SPA) – Golf
Serena Williams ( USA) – Tennis		 [19][20]
2001 Daunte Culpepper  USA Minnesota Vikings National Football League American football Rulon Gardner ( USA) – Wrestling
Josh Heupel ( USA) – Oklahoma Sooners
Marat Safin ( RUS) – Tennis		 [21][22]
2002 Tom Brady playing for the New England Patriots in 2011 Tom Brady  USA New England Patriots National Football League American football Kevin Harvick ( USA) – NASCAR
Sarah Hughes ( USA) – Figure skating
Ichiro Suzuki ( JPN) – Seattle Mariners		 [23][24]
2003 Alfonso Soriano in 2006 Alfonso Soriano  DOM New York Yankees Major League Baseball Baseball LeBron James ( USA) – Cleveland Cavaliers
Jimmie Johnson ( USA) – NASCAR
Yao Ming ( CHN) – Houston Rockets
Clinton Portis ( USA) – Denver Broncos		 [9][25]
2004 LeBron James playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2006 LeBron James  USA Cleveland Cavaliers National Basketball Association Basketball Freddy Adu ( USA) – Soccer
Carmelo Anthony ( USA) – Denver Nuggets
Jake Delhomme ( USA) – Carolina Panthers
Michelle Wie ( USA) – Golf		 [26][27]
2005 Photographic portrait of Dwyane Wade in 2005 Dwyane Wade  USA Miami Heat National Basketball Association Basketball Danica Patrick ( USA) – IndyCar Series
Ben Roethlisberger ( USA) – Pittsburgh Steelers
Maria Sharapova ( RUS) – Tennis		 [28][29]
2006 Chris Paul playing for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2013 Chris Paul  USA New Orleans Hornets National Basketball Association Basketball Kimmie Meissner ( USA) – Figure skating
Alexander Ovechkin ( RUS) – Washington Capitals
Shaun White ( USA) – Snowboarding		 [30][31]
2007 Devin Hester playing for the Chicago Bears in 2008 Devin Hester  USA Chicago Bears National Football League American football Kevin Durant ( USA) – Texas Longhorns
Ryan Howard ( USA) – Philadelphia Phillies
Morgan Pressel ( USA) – Golf		 [32][33]
2008 Adrian Peterson in Minnesota Vikings uniform in 2009 Adrian Peterson  USA Minnesota Vikings National Football League American football Kyle Busch ( USA) – NASCAR
Stephen Curry ( USA) – Davidson Wildcats
Ana Ivanovic ( SER) – Tennis		 [34][35]
2009 Matt Ryan in public in 2015 Matt Ryan  USA Atlanta Falcons National Football League American football Shawn Johnson ( USA) – Gymnastics
Evan Longoria ( USA) – Tampa Bay Rays
Derrick Rose ( USA) – Chicago Bulls		 [36][37]
2010 Chris Johnson sitting on his guard helmet at an American football game in 2010 Chris Johnson  USA Tennessee Titans National Football League American football Brittney Griner ( USA) – Baylor Bears
Stephen Strasburg ( USA) – Washington Nationals
John Wall ( USA) – Kentucky Wildcats		 [38][39]
2011 Blake Griffin playing for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2011 Blake Griffin  USA Los Angeles Clippers National Basketball Association Basketball José Bautista ( DOM) – Toronto Blue Jays
Arian Foster ( USA) – Houston Texans
Li Na ( CHN) – Tennis
Cam Newton ( USA) – Auburn Tigers		 [40][41]
2012 Jeremy Lin at the 2012 Time 100 Gala Jeremy Lin  USA New York Knicks National Basketball Association Basketball Anthony Davis ( USA) – Kentucky Wildcats
Robert Griffin III ( USA) – Baylor Bears
Rob Gronkowski ( USA) – New England Patriots
Alex Morgan ( USA) – Soccer		 [42][43]
2013 Colin Kaepernick wearing San Francisco 49ers uniform at a game in 2012 Colin Kaepernick  USA San Francisco 49ers National Football League American football Johnny Manziel ( USA) – Texas A&M Aggies
Yasiel Puig ( CUB) – Los Angeles Dodgers
Mike Trout ( USA) – Los Angeles Angels
Russell Wilson ( USA) – Seattle Seahawks		 [44][45]
2014 Richard Sherman in a preseason game with the Seattle Seahawks in 2015 Richard Sherman  USA Seattle Seahawks National Football League American football Nick Foles ( USA) – Philadelphia Eagles
Damian Lillard ( USA) – Portland Trail Blazers
Masahiro Tanaka ( JPN) – New York Yankees		 [46][47]
2015 Mo'ne Davis attending the 2014 National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony Mo'ne Davis  USA Anderson Monarchs Little League Baseball Baseball Odell Beckham Jr. ( USA) – New York Giants
Cardale Jones ( USA) – Ohio State Buckeyes
Jordan Spieth ( USA) – Golf		 [10][48]
2016 Jake Arrieta performing a warmup pitch for the Chicago Cubs in 2018 Jake Arrieta  USA Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball Baseball Karl-Anthony Towns ( USA) – Minnesota Timberwolves
Chloe Kim ( USA) – Snowboarding
Conor McGregor ( IRL) – MMA		 [49][50]
2017 Dak Prescott playing for the Dallas Cowboys in 2017 Dak Prescott  USA Dallas Cowboys National Football League American football Giannis Antetokounmpo ( GRE) – Milwaukee Bucks
Laurie Hernandez ( USA) – Gymnastics
Aaron Judge ( USA) – New York Yankees
Christian Pulisic ( USA) – Soccer		 [51][52]
2018 Donovan Mitchell in a Utah Jazz jersey in 2018 Donovan Mitchell  USA Utah Jazz National Basketball Association Basketball Alvin Kamara ( USA) – New Orleans Saints
Ben Simmons ( AUS) – Philadelphia 76ers
Sloane Stephens ( USA) – Tennis		 [53][54]
2019 Saquon Barkley playing for the New York Giants in 2018 Saquon Barkley  USA New York Giants National Football League American football Naomi Osaka ( JPN) – Tennis
Christian Yelich ( USA) – Milwaukee Brewers
Trae Young ( USA) – Atlanta Hawks		 [55]
2020 Not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 LaMelo Ball  USA Charlotte Hornets National Basketball Association Basketball Justin Herbert ( USA) – Los Angeles Chargers
Chase Young ( USA) – Washington Football Team
Crystal Dangerfield ( USA) – Minnesota Lynx
 [56]
2022 Eileen Gu  CHN — — Skiing Ja Morant ( USA) – Memphis Grizzlies
Trinity Rodman ( USA) Washington Spirit
Jonathan Taylor ( USA) Indianapolis Colts		 [57]
2023 F20230526ES-0294 Angel Reese  USA LSU Women's Basketball NCAA Division I Basketball Caitlin Clark ( USA) – Iowa Women's Basketball
Brock Purdy ( USA) San Francisco 49ers
Julio Rodríguez ( DOM) Seattle Mariners		 [58]

See also

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ↑ Because of the rescheduling of the ESPY Awards ceremony, the award presented in 2002 was given in consideration of performance betwixt February 2001 and June 2002.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Sheffield gets pardon". The Cincinnati Enquirer. March 2, 1993. p. D5. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 3 Nelson, Murry R. (2013). American Sports: A History of Icons, Idols and Ideas. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. pp. 399–401. ISBN 978-0-313-39753-0. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  3. ↑ Avard, Christian (August 2, 2013). "Sculptor commissioned to complete Joe Frazier statue has died". Barre Montpelier Times Argus. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  4. ↑ "The 2004 ESPY Awards – Fans to decide all 2004 ESPY Award winners". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Committee is newly found". ESPN. February 3, 1999. Archived from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  6. 1 2 "New categories unveiled for The 2002 ESPY Awards" (Press release). ESPN. 2002. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  7. 1 2 "All-Time ESPY Winners" (Press release). ESPN. June 24, 2010. Archived from the original on June 11, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  8. 1 2 Kent, Milton (February 14, 1996). "Mix of sports, entertainment creates weird alchemy at ESPYs". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  9. 1 2 "Man of the Moment? It Has to Be James". Los Angeles Times. July 17, 2003. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  10. 1 2 Mathis, Joel (July 16, 2015). "WATCH: Mo'ne Davis Wins "Breakthrough Athlete" ESPY". Philadelphia. Archived from the original on October 2, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  11. ↑ Tolley, Scott (March 5, 1994). "Piazza's strength: A 'throwback mentality'". The Palm Beach Post. p. 9C. Retrieved June 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Houston ESPY Award winners". Houston Chronicle. June 25, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  13. ↑ "ESPY nominees". Bluefield Daily Telegraph. Vol. 101, no. 21. Associated Press. January 21, 1995. p. 7. Retrieved June 15, 2018 – via Newspaper Archive.
  14. ↑ Hobson, Geoff (January 26, 1996). "Blake up for 'ESPY'". The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. B6. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Woods, Torre claim ESPYs". The Tennessean. February 11, 1997. p. 2C. Retrieved June 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "General: ESPY Awards". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. February 4, 1997. Archived from the original on December 29, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Scoreboard: ESPY Awards". Ottumwa Courier. February 10, 1998. p. 12. Retrieved June 15, 2018 – via Newspaper Archive.
  18. ↑ "Sports – Scoreboard: ESPY Awards". Walla Walla Union-Bulletin. February 16, 1999. Retrieved June 15, 2018 – via Newspaper Archive.
  19. ↑ "ESPY Awards". The Des Moines Register. February 16, 2000. p. B4. Retrieved June 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ Caesar, Dan (February 14, 2000). "Rams are contending for ESPY Awards". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. C8. Retrieved June 15, 2018 – via Gale Power Search.
  21. ↑ Whitley, David (March 30, 2001). "Daunte Still Makes Right Reads". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  22. ↑ "OU up for ESPY awards". The Oklahoman. February 11, 2001. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Absent Woods wins; Venus Williams named best female athlete 3 ESPYs and tennis player". The Palm Beach Post. Associated Press. July 11, 2002. p. D2. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ "The 2002 ESPY Awards – Breakthrough Athlete nominees". ESPN. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  25. ↑ "Jimmie Johnson nominated for an ESPY". motorsport.com. July 18, 2003. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Cavs star not upset Boozer has gone". Deseret News. Associated Press. July 17, 2004. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  27. ↑ McDonald, Dan (July 9, 2004). "Delhomme has busy offseason". Shreveport Times. p. 6C. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ↑ "The NBA at the ESPYs". National Basketball Association. July 14, 2005. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  29. ↑ Lewandowski, Dave (July 13, 2005). "Drivers proud of ESPY nominations". Indy Racing League. Archived from the original on December 2, 2005. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  30. ↑ Scott, Mike (December 21, 2008). "Hornets Chris Paul set to make acting debut in 'Hurricane Season'". The Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on July 20, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  31. ↑ "UD's Kimmie Meissner on ESPY Award ballot". University of Delaware. June 28, 2006. Archived from the original on July 16, 2006. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  32. ↑ Schreck, Reed (August 5, 2007). "Hester's play speaks volumes". Carbondale Times. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  33. ↑ Bertalotto, Jake (July 15, 2007). "The ESPYS :: Open Thread". SB Nation. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  34. ↑ "Athlete, Stories Honored at ESPYs". Jet. Associated Press. 114 (4): 38. August 4, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2018 – via Google Books.
  35. ↑ D'Aniello, Chris (July 1, 2008). "2008 ESPY Awards: The Nominees". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on January 31, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  36. ↑ Isner, Jessica (July 16, 2009). "Lakers, Jackson Take Home Coveted ESPY Honors". New England Sports Network. Archived from the original on September 3, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  37. ↑ "Three U.S. Olympic gymnasts nominated for ESPYs; fans may vote until July 11". USA Gymnastics. July 9, 2009. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  38. ↑ Rosenthal, Gregg (July 14, 2010). "Chris Johnson wins first ESPY of the night". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on July 16, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  39. ↑ "Lakers nominated for 'Best Team' Espy Award". San Gabriel Valley Tribune. June 24, 2010. Archived from the original on January 6, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  40. ↑ Tourtellotte, Bob (July 14, 2011). "Mavericks, Nowitzki shine at Espy Awards". Reuters. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  41. ↑ Morrison, David (July 13, 2011). "Handicapping the ESPYs: How many awards is Auburn taking home?". Opelika-Auburn News. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  42. ↑ Stone, Jeff (July 11, 2012). "Jeremy Lin Rides Linsanity To His ESPY For Breakthrough Player Of The Year". International Business Times. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  43. ↑ Koenig, Alexander (June 28, 2012). "Jeremy Lin up for ESPY Award". The Harvard Crimson. Archived from the original on December 19, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  44. ↑ "Kaepernick Wins Breakthrough Athlete Trophy At ESPY Awards". KPIX-TV. Associated Press. July 18, 2013. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  45. ↑ Williams, Doug (July 17, 2013). "Kaepernick a Candidate for ESPYs' Best Breakthrough Athlete". KNTV. Archived from the original on July 21, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  46. ↑ C. Anderson, Erik (July 17, 2014). "Seattle Seahawks, Richard Sherman win ESPY Awards". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  47. ↑ Eaton, Nick (June 24, 2014). "Seahawks' Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman, Pete Carroll nominated for ESPY awards". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on December 28, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  48. ↑ Landis, Bill (June 24, 2015). "Ohio State's Urban Meyer, Cardale Jones and wrestler Logan Stieber nominated for ESPY Awards". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  49. ↑ The Sports Xchange (July 14, 2016). "Stephen Curry, Jake Arrieta among winners at 2016 ESPY Awards". United Press International. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  50. ↑ Franklin, Drew (June 23, 2016). "Karl-Anthony Towns nominated for an ESPY". Kentucky Sports Radio. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  51. ↑ Drummond, K. D. (July 12, 2017). "Cowboys QB Dak Prescott wins Breakthrough Athlete of Year ESPY". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  52. ↑ Klinger, Jacob (July 12, 2017). "Christian Pulisic is up for an ESPY". The Patriot-News. Archived from the original on July 15, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  53. ↑ Estes, Gentry (July 19, 2018). "Former Louisville star Donovan Mitchell is bringing home an ESPY award". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  54. ↑ A. Erickson, Joel (June 20, 2018). "Alvin Kamara nominated for ESPY for Best Breakthrough Athlete". New Orleans Advocate. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  55. ↑ Schneier, Dan (July 11, 2019). "Saquon Barkley wins 'Best Breakthrough Athlete' at ESPY awards". 247Sports.com. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  56. ↑ "LaMelo Ball named Best Breakthrough Athlete at 2021 ESPY Awards". NBA.com. July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  57. ↑ "2022 ESPYS: Full list of award winners". ESPN.com. July 20, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  58. ↑ "2023 ESPYS: Full list of award winners". ESPN.com. July 12, 2023. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
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