ESPYs 2026 lands in New York City on Wednesday, July 15, with Marcello Hernández hosting for the first time. The show airs live at 8 p.m. ET and 7 p.m. CT, giving the awards a different setup after years tied to Los Angeles.
Marcello Hernández at Lincoln Center
Marcello Hernández said hosting for the first time feels like "it is an honor, and frankly feels crazy." That is the kind of line awards shows usually save for the winner’s podium, not the person steering the broadcast, and it tells you how new this assignment is for him.
The 2026 ESPY Awards will air live from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. They also return to New York City for the first time since 2021, after earlier editions were held at The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
ABC, + and next-day streaming
ABC will carry the ceremony live, with + and the app in the live-stream mix as well. The next day, the show will be available on Hulu, Disney+, the App, and ABC Video on Demand, which gives viewers a second window if they skip the live telecast.
That rollout matters because the audience is no longer locked to a single night and a single channel. For a ceremony built around live results, the next-day stack is the practical fallback for viewers who want the winners without sitting through the whole broadcast.
Stephen Curry and the awards race
Stephen Curry used the eve of the show to receive the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award and called it "super surreal." He said, "Me and my wife Ayesha and what our foundation has been able to do, we're super proud of it," adding, "It's a great encouragement to keep doing the work that we're doing. We're only seven years in and the impact that we've had in Oakland has been real."
On the competitive side, Jalen Brunson is up in three categories, including best athlete - men's sports, best championship performance and best NBA player, while Shohei Ohtani also has three nominations. The New York Knicks are among nine best team nominees, and A'ja Wilson and Mikaela Shiffrin are both seeking a second win in best athlete - women's sports.
2025 winners raise the bar
Shohei Ohtani won best MLB player last year for the fifth consecutive time, a streak that sets a high floor for this year’s voting. Mikaela Shiffrin remains the first athlete ever to reach 100 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup victories, and A'ja Wilson’s 2025 season still stands out because she became the first player in WNBA or NBA history to win the regular season MVP, Defensive Player of the Year title, Finals MVP title and a scoring title in the same season.
Myles Garrett adds another useful wrinkle: he is nominated for best NFL player and best record-breaking performance after 23 sacks in 2025. If he wins best NFL player, he would become the only defensive player to take home that title, which is the sort of category-level outcome that gives the show a sharper edge than a standard trophy parade.
For viewers, the clearest change is simple: the 2026 ESPYs are back in New York City, the host is new, and the live broadcast starts at 8 p.m. ET. If the show wanted a fresh frame, it got one.
