Fans pick their favourite for ESPY award Jalen Brunson and Lionel Messi are nominated for
· Yahoo Sports
Four of the biggest names in world sport are up for the same ESPY, and fans have already started picking a winner.
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Shohei Ohtani, Lionel Messi, Jalen Brunson and Matthew Stafford make up the shortlist for Best Athlete, Men’s Sports at the 2026 ESPYS.
Ohtani is hitting and pitching at highest level for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Messi remains the focal point at Inter Miami and now for Argentina at the World Cup, Brunson led the New York Knicks to their first NBA title in over 50 years, and Stafford is the reigning NFL MVP after taking the Los Angeles Rams to the NFC Championship Game.
The ceremony airs live from Lincoln Center in New York on July 15th, with fan voting open right up until the show. Judging by the early reaction, there’s a clear frontrunner.
Photo by Harry How/Getty ImagesShohei Ohtani leads the shouts, but Jalen Brunson has New York on his side
Most of the noise points one way, towards the MLB’s best player. Ohtani won his fourth MVP in 2025 and is showing no signs of taking his foot off the league’s neck.
One fan made a bold claim, writing that Ohtani is “better than all three combined.”
Another argued the two-way star belongs in his own bracket, writing: “Ohtani in a category with Stafford and Brunson feels like a different sport entirely. Dude is rewriting baseball history every season.”
One split voter says: “Ohtani is a whole different level, hands down. Though Messi always gets my vote too, just for pure GOAT status vibes.”
Even Ohtani’s backers struggled to leave Messi out. The Argentine is currently dominating at the World Cup and is in the midst of another stellar campaign with Inter Miami — already on 12 goals and seven assists in 14 league appearances.
As this fan put it: “Ohtani hitting and pitching at an elite level while Messi is still the best footballer on the planet at 39, and both are on the same ESPY ballot. We are genuinely living in a golden era of athletic greatness across multiple sports simultaneously.”
Brunson’s support came mostly from one place — New York. Knicks fans leaned on the history behind his run to the franchise’s first championship since 1973. He won Finals MVP along with the Larry O’Brien, closing out the series with a 45-piece,
Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesOne backed him without hesitation: “It’s gonna go to Brunson. Take it to the bank.”
Another laid out the case: “Gotta be Brunson, right. The drought. The doubters. The size. The market. The moment. The opponent. There is no better sports story this year.”
Stafford was the only nominee without a loud base of support in the comments. He became the oldest first-time MVP in NFL history.
He threw a franchise-record 46 touchdowns against just eight interceptions in 2025, leading the league in passing yards and touchdowns for the first time in his career. The Rams went 12-5 and reached the NFC Championship Game, where they lost 31-27 to Seattle. He isn’t being discussed as a true contender, at least for now..
Voting runs until the show airs on ABC on July 15th. That’s too bad for Messi, who could be playing for the World Cup final four days later. He won’t have the chance to add another trophy to his case.
For now, the fans are pointing at Ohtani.
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