Story perspectives

2026 ESPYs Crown Knicks, Brunson, Curry, Liu, Messi

7/16/2026

Summary

Brunson Wins Triple

The 2026 ESPY Awards were held on July 15, 2026 at Lincoln Center, naming New York Knicks Best Team.
Jalen Brunson earned Best Male Athlete, Championship Performance and NBA Player honors.
Stephen Curry received the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award.
Alyssa Liu won Best Breakthrough Athlete after Olympic gold at the 2026 Winter Games.
Lionel Messi was named Soccer Player of the Year after two assists in Argentina’s 2-1 semifinal over England.

Summary

Stars Attend Ceremony

Hip-hop legends De La Soul (hip-hop group), Ghostface Killah (rapper), Slick Rick (rapper) and the comedy-sports troupe Savannah Bananas performed during the ceremony.
Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, track star Allyson Felix and freestyle-ski champion Eileen Gu served as presenters for awards.
Red-carpet arrivals included figure-skating champion Alysa Liu, gymnastics gold-medalist Sunisa Lee, NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns and model Jordyn Woods.
Russell Wilson (quarterback), Dwight Howard (former NBA star), Kevin Hart (comedian), Tracy Morgan (actor), Ayesha Curry (former NBA star) and Stephen Curry (NBA star) attended.

Summary

Disney Broadcasts ESPYs

Disney, as ESPN’s parent company, broadcast the 2026 ESPY Awards from the David H. Koch Theater.
The ceremony’s transmission used a Disney-owned local station, merging national and regional distribution.
The partnership links a leading New York arts venue with a major sports media conglomerate.
Disney’s control of the broadcast aligns the ESPYs with its broader strategy to integrate high-profile sports events across its TV and streaming assets.

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Brunson Wins Triple

The 2026 ESPY Awards were held on July 15, 2026 at Lincoln Center, naming New York Knicks Best Team.
Jalen Brunson earned Best Male Athlete, Championship Performance and NBA Player honors.
Stephen Curry received the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award.
Alyssa Liu won Best Breakthrough Athlete after Olympic gold at the 2026 Winter Games.
Lionel Messi was named Soccer Player of the Year after two assists in Argentina’s 2-1 semifinal over England.

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