Jalen Brunson closed out one of the most remarkable seasons in New York Knicks history with a triumphant night at the 2026 ESPY Awards on Wednesday, collecting three separate honors at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. Hosted by Saturday Night Live comedian Marcello Hernandez, the ceremony placed Brunson at its center from the opening award to the final ovation, a fitting reflection of how completely the Knicks' point guard has defined American sport over the past twelve months.
Brunson opened the show by winning "Best Championship Performance," then returned hours later to claim "Best Athlete - Men's Sports," before joining his teammates on stage as the Knicks were named "Best Team" in the evening's closing moment. The trio of awards captures a season of genuine substance: 26.0 points, 6.8 assists and a combined 53-29 regular-season record for New York, followed by a Finals run in which Brunson averaged 32.6 points, 4.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game as the Knicks lifted their first NBA title since 1973. In a sports landscape crowded with compelling storylines - from transfer market drama like the lyon julien pursuit making waves in European football, to Olympic glory on the ice - Brunson's championship run stood apart for its scale and its city.
Accepting his first award, Brunson thanked family, coaches and teammates with characteristic directness. "I am forever indebted to them, thank you," he said. It was brief, unvarnished and earned - the kind of speech that lands because the work behind it is already known.
A Night That Honoured Perseverance Beyond the Scoreboard
The ceremony's emotional centrepiece away from basketball was the "Jimmy V Award for Perseverance," presented to former Major League Baseball pitcher Jim Abbott. Abbott spent a decade in the majors despite being born without a right hand, and his remarks carried the kind of weight that no highlight reel can replicate. "I was born missing my right hand, and I never wanted to make a big deal about that," Abbott said, before reflecting on what sport ultimately gave him. "Of all the great blessings sports has given me, that sense of belonging is the best." It was among the most resonant moments of the evening, and rightly so.
Figure skater Alyssa Liu won "Best Breakthrough Athlete" following her Winter Olympics gold medal, acknowledging a turbulent road that included a two-year absence from the sport. "It really feels like I did break through in my own way, and for my sport," Liu said. The "Pat Tilman Award for Service" went to Scott Ruskan, a Coast Guard member and former Rider University cross country athlete who helped rescue 165 survivors of the Texas floods last July. "There were a lot of heroes that day who aren't getting an ESPY Award," Ruskan said with admirable humility. "It took a complete army of people to get it done."
Curry Calls on Athletes to Find Their Own Oakland
Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry accepted the "Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award" for his "Eat, Learn, Play" foundation, which has provided meals, education resources and playgrounds to children across the Oakland area. Curry acknowledged the weight of the award's name before turning his acceptance into a direct challenge to his peers. "Don't ever forget you have a platform, you have a voice, you have everything you need to make a true impact," he said. "I encourage you to find your Oakland." It was the kind of call to action the room needed to hear from someone with credibility to back it up.
Full List of 2026 ESPY Award Winners
- Best Championship Performance: Jalen Brunson
- Best Athlete - Men's Sports: Jalen Brunson
- Best Team: New York Knicks
- Best Athlete - Women's Sports: A'ja Wilson
- Best Breakthrough Athlete: Alyssa Liu
- Best Single-Game Performance: Shohei Ohtani
- Best Play: OG Anunoby
- Best Record-Breaking Performance: Myles Garrett
- Best College Athletes: Fernando Mendoza (Indiana), Lauren Betts (UCLA)
- Best High School Athletes: Maddie DiMaria, Grady Emerson
- Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award: Steph Curry
- Jimmy V Award for Perseverance: Jim Abbott
- Arthur Ashe Award for Courage: Jason Collins
- Pat Tilman Award for Service: Scott Ruskan
UCLA basketball player Lauren Betts used her "Best College Athlete" platform to speak openly about mental health, arguing that psychological wellbeing is not incidental to athletic achievement but foundational to it. "The strongest people aren't the ones who never struggle; they're the ones who have the courage to let someone walk through the struggle with them," Betts said. For a generation of young athletes navigating intense public scrutiny, those words carried real weight. It was a fitting note for a ceremony that, between Brunson's coronation and Abbott's testimony, demonstrated that the best nights in sport carry meaning well beyond the final score.
