ESPN’s ESPYS Awards 2025 are on the way and will be presented on July 16 at the iconic Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The excitement has skyrocketed as many of the standout star athletes of 2024 are in the race to win the coveted honors. While nominations for the Best Athlete have been the talk of the town, team awards have also created their fair share of buzz, and the Florida Panthers are pretty much at the centre of it.
For Best Athlete–Men’s Sports, the intense tussle is going on between MLB sensation Shohei Ohtani, superstar NFL running back Saquon Barkley, who recently made headlines for being the cover athlete of Madden 26, the 2024 NFL MVP Josh Allen, and Oklahoma City Thunder’s rising NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Meanwhile in the Women’s Sports category, gymnastics legend Simone Biles, track star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and WNBA standout A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces are locked in a thrilling competition of their own.
The nominations for the Best Team include the 2024-25 Super Bowl Champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the 2024-25 NBA Champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, who stunned fans with their historic run, and the US Women’s National Soccer Team. Alongside them, the NHL community is buzzing with excitement as the back-to-back Stanley Cup winners, the Florida Panthers, have also got a nod. The Panthers crushed the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final series with a 4-2 final record in the best-of-seven showdown, securing their place among the elite at ESPN’s ESPYS Awards.
This is a developing story…