Betting on the ESPY Awards

Article ByKyle Garlett

July 12, 2023

Spread the Word:

Posted in: US Sports Betting News, US Gambling News

The Wednesday after Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game is traditionally one of the slowest days on the sports betting calendar. There are a few WNBA games and the NBA Summer League. But other than that, there isn’t much to watch or wager.

That’s the true beauty of the sportsworld’s annual gathering at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles to honor itself with the Excellence in Sports Performance Years Awards. Not only do we get to see NFL stars like Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, and Justin Jefferson, NBA stars like Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic, and the best hockey player in the world, Connor McDavid, we get to wager on them all at the same event.

With the bookmakers at BetUS.com providing the odds, here are the main competitions for tonight.

Best Athlete: Men’s Sports

Patrick Mahomes (-125)

Aaron Judge (+250)

Nikola Jokic (+300)

Lionel Messi (+300)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was the NFL MVP, New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was the American League MVP, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was the NBA Finals MVP, and Lionel Messi won the World Cup with Argentina and was FIFA’s Men’s Player of the Year.

You can make a compelling case for each of the four men. However, Mahomes is the betting favorite going into the night.

Best Athlete: Women’s Sports

Iga Świątek (+110)

A’ja Wilson (+225)

Sophia Smith (+300)

Mikaela Shiffrin (+325)

Unfortunately the ESPYs come just a day after the best women’s tennis player in the world, Poland’s Iga Świątek, lost in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. She remains the betting favorite, however, leading three American women: WNBA star A’ja Wilson, soccer forward Sophia Smith, and the winningest World Cup alpine skier in history, Mikaela Shiffrin.

Best NFL Player

Patrick Mahomes (-800)

Jalen Hurts (+400)

Justin Jefferson (+900)

Nick Bosa (+1200)

If Mahomes doesn’t win for overall male athlete, he’s not going to leave empty-handed. He won the MVP by a wide margin over Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, and he’s favored by a wide margin here. 

Best NBA Player

Nikola Jokic (-700)

Joel Embiid (+800)

Jimmy Butler (+1200)

Jayson Tatum (+2000)

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid was the NBA MVP this past season. But Jokic is a two-time MVP who cemented his legacy in the league with one of the best postseasons we’ve ever seen. He is a huge favorite to win another award.

Best WNBA Player

A’ja Wilson (-250)

Breanna Stewart (+350)

Candace Parker (+400)

Skylar Diggins-Smith (+900)

A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces is a two-time WNBA MVP. She was an WNBA champion last year, and the Aces are once again favored to win the title this year. Wilson was also a gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

Breanna Stewart plays for the New York Liberty and is a two-time WNBA champion. She was the MVP in 2018, and she was the league’s leading scorer last season.

Best MLB Player

Shohei Ohtani (-500)

Aaron Judge (+225)

Paul Goldschmidt (+1200)

Justin Verlander (+1200)

Aaron Judge is the only baseball player up for best overall male athlete, and he was the American League MVP last season after hitting 62 home runs. But Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels is a unicorn as a dominant two-way player. He is the huge favorite to take home this award.

Best NHL Player

Connor McDavid (-900)

Jonathan Marchessault (+500)

Linus Ullmark (+900)

David Pastrnák (+1000)

The biggest of all the favorites on the night is Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid. Last season he led the NHL in goals (64), assists (89), and points (153). It was his sixth season in his last seven of more than 100 points. He had 97 in the other season.

Best Team

NBA: Denver Nuggets (+125)

NFL: Kansas City Chiefs (+225)

NHL: Vegas Golden Knights (+500)

WNBA: Las Vegas Aces (+500)

NCAA Football: Georgia Bulldogs (+600)

Women’s NCAA Basketball: LSU Tigers (+800)

NCAA Softball: Oklahoma Sooners (+900)

It is tough to compare team accomplishments across sports, and across levels of sport. But that is what the ESPYs attempt to do with their Best Team award.

The Denver Nuggets were the top seed in the Western Conference and dominating in their run through the postseason, and on their way to the first NBA title in franchise history. The Chiefs were Super Bowl champions again, and they had the highest-scoring offense in the NFL last year.

The Aces were 26-10 in the regular season last year, and an impressive 8-2 in the postseason, on their way to winning the first championship in team history. And you wouldn’t normally put a college softball team on this list, but Oklahoma is no normal softball team. This year they won their third straight national championship, going 61-1 on the season and putting together a softball record-setting 53-game winning streak.