Brunson Sweeps ESPY Night as Knicks End 52-Year Championship Drought
Jalen Brunson turned the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center into a second home on Wednesday evening, collecting two individual awards and sharing a third with his teammates as the 2026 ESPY Awards celebrated the New York Knicks' first NBA championship since 1973. Hosted by Saturday Night Live cast member Marcello Hernandez, the ceremony opened and closed with Brunson at the center of the room, a fitting reflection of the season he delivered.
Brunson took home "Best Championship Performance" early in the show after averaging 32.6 points, 4.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game during the NBA Finals. His regular-season numbers - 26.0 points and 6.8 assists across a 53-29 campaign - had already established him as one of the league's premier guards, but it was his postseason command that defined the year. Some sports audiences discovering these awards for the first time through entertainment platforms like https://media.sapphirebet.com/en/slots/pragmatic-play/wolf-howl-3/ may not yet appreciate just how rare a performance of this magnitude is in New York, a franchise market that has waited five decades for a night like this. In his acceptance speech, Brunson kept it brief and genuine, thanking family, coaches and teammates before adding: "I am forever indebted to them, thank you."
Hours later he returned to the stage to accept "Best Athlete - Men's Sports," and then stood alongside his Knicks teammates as New York claimed "Best Team." Three ovations in one evening at Lincoln Center - for a city starved of a championship banner since Willis Reed limped onto the Garden floor in 1973, it was a release that went well beyond basketball.
Beyond the Knicks: A Night That Honoured Perseverance and Service
The ESPYs have always carved out space for stories that transcend scorelines, and Wednesday's ceremony was no different. Jim Abbott, the former Major League Baseball pitcher who spent a decade in the majors despite being born without a right hand, received the "Jimmy V Award for Perseverance." Abbott's words carried the quiet weight of someone who has never needed to shout to make his point heard. "Of all the great blessings sports has given me, that sense of belonging is the best," he said - a line that landed in the room and stayed there.
The "Pat Tillman Award for Service" went to Scott Ruskan, a former cross country runner at Rider University who, as a Coast Guard member, helped rescue 165 survivors from Texas floodwaters last July. Ruskan was characteristically modest. "There were a lot of heroes that day who aren't getting an ESPY Award," he said. "It took a complete army of people to get it done."
Curry, Liu, Betts and a Full Card of Winners
Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry accepted the "Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award" for his Oakland-based charity Eat, Learn, Play, which has provided meals and recreational spaces for children in underserved communities. Curry used the moment to challenge his peers directly: "Don't ever forget you have a platform, you have a voice, you have everything you need to make a true impact, and I encourage you to find your Oakland." Invoking Ali's name, he acknowledged the weight of the honour: "When you hear Ali's name, you think about greatness. This award being connected to his legacy is incredibly humbling."
Figure skater Alyssa Liu won "Best Breakthrough Athlete" following her Winter Olympics gold medal, reflecting on two years away from competition before her return: "It really feels like I did break through in my own way, and for my sport." UCLA basketball player Lauren Betts, sharing the "Best College Athlete" honour with Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, delivered perhaps the most resonant lines of the night on mental health: "Your mental health is not separate from your success. It is the foundation of everything that you do." Jason Collins received the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, while A'ja Wilson claimed "Best Athlete - Women's Sports."
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, Lauren Betts
- Best High School Athletes: Maddie DiMaria, Grady Emerson
- Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award: Steph Curry
- Jimmy V Award for Perseverance: Jim Abbott
- Pat Tillman Award for Service: Scott Ruskan
- Arthur Ashe Award for Courage: Jason Collins
