The 2026 ESPY Awards took place on Wednesday night at the David H. Koch Theater. The NBA champion New York Knicks were at the forefront of award winners. The Knicks won the award as the best team, and its players won individual awards. Point guard Jalen Brunson of New Brunswick, New Jersey was named the best male athlete, best player in the National Basketball Association, and best championship performance. Knicks power forward OG Anunoby of London, Great Britain, received the ESPY Award for the best play.
There were two other basketball players honoured in humanitarian categories. Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry of Akron, Ohio won the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award for the “Eat, Learn and Play” program he created in Oakland, California. Meanwhile, the late Jason Collins of Los Angeles, California won the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. Collins, who was honoured post humously, was recognized for the courage for coming out as gay while still being an active basketball player.
The Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in five games to win the NBA Finals. It was the Knicks’s first NBA championship since 1973. Brunson was an All-Star for the third straight year. During the regular season, he averaged 26 points per game, 6.8 assists per game, and 3.3 rebounds per game. He had a field goal percentage of .467, three point percentage of .369 and free throw percentage of .841. In the 2026 NBA Finals, Brunson averaged 32.6 points per game, 4.6 assists per game, and 4.2 rebounds per game. He also had a field goal percentage of .421, three point percentage of .389, and free throw percentage of .860.
Anunoby, meanwhile, was honoured for the game-winning tip-in with 1.2 seconds left in game four of the NBA Finals. The Knicks were down by 29 points against the Spurs before winning 107-106 in the greatest comeback ever in the NBA Finals.
