Yasiel Puig, Peyton Manning, Serena Williams, Gabby Douglas, and Kevin Durant were among the superstar athletes receiving nominations on May 21 for the inaugural Kids’ Choice Sports Awards, which will be presented in July at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion.
An offshoot of the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards –which honor actors, celebrities and athletes in a ceremony usually soaked in green slime – the inaugural Sports Awards event will be hosted July 17 by Michael Strahan, a former NFL standout who co-hosts Live with Kelly and Michael and appears on Fox’s NFL pre-game show.
Winners will be chosen through online voting, which will begin June 12 at www.nick.com/sports.
Manning and Durant were nominated for best male athlete, along with Tom Brady, Dale Earnhardt Jr., LeBron James, Derek Jeter, Dwyane Wade and Tiger Woods. Nominated for best female athlete were Douglas, Williams, Gracie Gold, Candace Parker, Danica Patrick, Hope Solo and Lindsey Vonn.
Los Angeles Dodger Yasiel Puig and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were nominated for favorite newcomer, along with Skylar Diggins of the WNBA, the Washington Nationals’ Bryce Harper, tennis star Sloane Stephens and Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson.
The ceremony also includes off-beat categories such as “Sickest Moves,” “King and Queen of Swag,” and “Don’t Try This at Home.”
Here is a complete list of nominees:
BEST MALE ATHLETE
— Tom Brady (NFL, New England Patriots)
— Kevin Durant (NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder)
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (NASCAR)
— LeBron James (NBA, Miami Heat)
— Derek Jeter (MLB, New York Yankees)
— Peyton Manning (NFL, Denver Broncos)
— Dwyane Wade (NBA, Miami Heat)
— Tiger Woods (Golf)
BEST FEMALE ATHLETE
— Gabby Douglas (US Gymnastics)
— Gracie Gold (US Figure Skater)
— Candace Parker (WNBA, Los Angeles Sparks)
— Danica Patrick (NASCAR)
— Hope Solo (NWSL, Seattle Reign FC)
— Lindsey Vonn (US Skiing)
— Serena Williams (WTA)
FAVORITE NEWCOMER
— Skylar Diggins (WNBA, Tulsa Shock)
— Bryce Harper (MLB, Washington Nationals)
— Yasiel Puig (MLB, Los Angeles Dodgers)
— Sloane Stephens (WTA)
— Mike Trout (MLB, Anaheim Angels)
— Russell Wilson (NFL, Seattle Seahawks)
FAVORITE CATCH
— Dez Bryant (NFL, Dallas Cowboys)
— Calvin Johnson (NFL, Detroit Lions)
— Yaisel Puig (MLB, Los Angeles Dodgers)
— Mike Trout (MLB, Anaheim Angels)
BEST SAVE
— Tim Howard (English club Everton and the United States Men’s National Team)
— Henrik Lundqvist (NHL, New York Rangers)
— Ryan Miller (NHL, St. Louis Blues)
— Jonathan Quick (NHL, Los Angeles Kings)
— Hope Solo (NWSL, Seattle Reign FC)
CLUTCH PLAYER OF THE YEAR
— Carmelo Anthony (NBA, New York Knicks)
— Skylar Diggins (WNBA, Tulsa Shock)
— Kevin Durant (NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder)
— LeBron James (NBA, Miami Heat)
— Marshawn Lynch (NFL, Seattle Seahawks)
— David Ortiz (MLB, Boston Red Sox)
— Abby Wambach (NWSL, The Western NY Flash)
SICKEST MOVES
— Sidney Crosby (NHL, Pittsburgh Penguins)
— Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy and the United States Men’s National Team)
— Blake Griffin (NBA, Los Angeles Clippers)
— Lionel Messi (Spanish club FC Barcelona and the Argentine Men’s National Team)
— Alex Morgan (NWSL, Portland Thorns)
— Alexander Ovechkin (NHL, Washington Capitals)
— Chris Paul (NBA, Los Angeles Clippers)
— Adrian Peterson (NFL, Minnesota Vikings)
DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME AWARD
— Nyjah Huston (American professional street skateboarder)
— Travis Pastrana (motorsports competitor)
— Kelly Slater (Surfer)
— Lindsey Vonn (US Skiing)
— Shaun White (American professional snowboarder and skateboarder)
SMELLS LIKE TEAM SPIRIT
— Detroit Red Wings Fans
— Green Bay Packers Fans
— Oakland Raiders Fans
— Oklahoma City Thunder Fans
— Pittsburgh Steelers Fans
— Seattle Seahawks Fans
PARTY LIKE A SPORTS STAR (Best Victory Celebration)
— Victor Cruz (NFL, New York Giants)
— Knowshon Moreno (NFL, Miami Dolphins)
— Rafael Nadal (ATP)
— Cam Newton (NFL, Carolina Panthers)
— Cristiano Ronaldo (Spanish club Real Madrid and Portugal Men’s National Team)
— Abby Wambach (NWSL, The Western NY Flash)
KING OF SWAG
— Eric Decker (NFL, New York Jets)
— Henrik Lundqvist (NHL, New York Rangers)
— Cristiano Ronaldo (Spanish club Real Madrid and Portugal Men’s National Team)
— Amar’e Stoudemire (NBA, New York Knicks)
— Dwyane Wade (NBA, Miami Heat)
— Russell Westbrook (NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder)
QUEEN OF SWAG
— Skylar Diggins (WNBA, Tulsa Shock)
— Gabby Douglas (US Gymnast)
— Lolo Jones (US Track and Field and Bobsled)
— Maria Sharapova (WTA)
— Lindsey Vonn (US Skiing)
— Serena Williams (WTA)
BIGGEST CANNON
— Novak Djokovic (ATP)
— Clayton Kershaw (MLB, Los Angeles Dodgers)
— Cam Newton (NFL, Carolina Panthers)
— Aaron Rodgers (NFL, Green Bay Packers)
— Ben Roethlisberger (NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers)
— Justin Verlander (MLB, Detroit Tigers)
— Serena Williams (WTA)
FAVORITE COMEBACK ATHLETE
— Bethany Hamilton (Surfer)
— Peyton Manning (NFL, Denver Broncos)
— Adrian Peterson (NFL, Minnesota Vikings)
— Albert Pujols (MLB, Anaheim Angels)
— Rajon Rondo (NBA, Boston Celtics)
— Russell Westbrook (NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder)
SUPERSTAR SIBLINGS
— Dufour-Lapointe sisters (Olympic Mogul Skiing, Justine, Chloe and
Maxime)
— Gasol brothers (NBA, Pau (L.A. Lakers), Marc (Memphis Grizzlies))
— Gronkowski brothers (NFL, Rob (NE Patriots), Dan (Detroit Lions) and Chris (San Diego Chargers))
— Lopez brothers (NBA, Brook (NJ Nets), Robin (Portland Trailblazers))
— Manning brothers (NFL, Peyton (Denver Broncos), Eli (NY Giants))
— Staal brothers (NHL, Eric (Carolina Hurricanes), Marc (NY Rangers), Jordan (Carolina Hurricanes), Jared (Carolina Hurricanes))
— Upton brothers (MLB, Atlanta Braves, BJ and Justin)
— Williams sisters (WTA, Venus and Serena)
