The 2023 ESPY Awards betting odds are up, and we know the nominations, so it’s time for my predictions. I went through all categories to find the best bets for the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards known as ESPY.
The odds used in this article are available at the BetUS sportsbook. That’s the best place for betting on the ESPY Awards 2023 because all categories are covered.
Patrick Mahomes is the main favorite to win the Best Athlete award in men’s sports. The ESPYs 2023 betting odds favor the Kansas City Chiefs QB over MLB superstar Aaron Judge and two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Mahomes is the favorite to win. He delivered one of the best seasons of his career in 2022-23. The Chiefs quarterback won the MVP award and the Super Bowl, throwing 48 total touchdowns (regular season and playoffs).
Judge, on the other hand, also deserves mention for the ESPY Award. He had a historic season in 2022, which also resulted in him earning MVP honors. The baseball start set the AL single-season record for home runs, hitting 62 long balls to go along with 131 RBIs.
Let’s also not overlook Jokic, who just completed a magical postseason run that culminated in an NBA title. Jokic didn’t win the MVP this year, but he certainly played like one, bringing Denver its first championship in franchise history.
And yet, Mahomes dominated like no other male athlete this year, and it’s only natural for him to win this honor. The odds are too high to miss, making this one of the 2023 ESPY Awards best bets.
Now, I want to turn my attention to the top female athletes from the previous year. Tennis superstar Iga Swiatek is the main favorite over A’ja Wilson, who recently won her first WNBA title. Next up is Sophia Smith, who won the 2022 NWSL MVP and Championship.
What Swiatek has been able to accomplish in the past year is astounding. She’s catapulted herself to the top of the WTA rankings and captured multiple Grand Slam titles, winning the French Open and the US Open.
Wilson’s accomplishments in 2022 were also pretty amazing. She claimed her second WNBA MVP and won her first championship. Wilson is among the best players of her generation, and her legacy will only continue to grow.
The third contender, Sophia Smith, is a young phenom in women’s soccer who grabbed a lot of people’s attention in 2022. However, soccer doesn’t have quite the same appeal as tennis and basketball in the US. Smith’s chances are slim since the ESPYs are basically an American awards institution.
The same can be said about Mikaela Shiffrin. She had a spectacular season, but alpine skiing typically doesn’t gain a ton of traction with the ESPYs, either. The last alpine skier to win Best Athlete was Lindsey Vonn in 2011.
Swiatek is the most realistic winner, and I feel obliged to back her with my 2023 ESPY Awards predictions. She’s been the most dominant female tennis player in the world by a large margin.
The ESPYs have an award category for every major American sports league, including the NFL. I already talked about why Mahomes will win the Best Athlete award, so it’s not surprising he’s the favorite to win Best NFL Player.
Could Jalen Hurts or Justin Jefferson claim this award from Mahomes? Both players were outstanding in 2022-23. In fact, Hurts would’ve likely won NFL MVP if he didn’t miss any games from the regular season, but he also lost against Mahomes in Super Bowl LVII.
Jefferson, who plays wide receiver, won Offensive Player of the Year for the 2022-23 season. He finished the year with over 1,800 receiving yards and nine total touchdowns. Nick Bosa is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
There’s a reason why the best betting sites are offering short odds on Mahomes in this market. He’s the chosen one in the NFL who also delivered one of the best seasons ever in 2022-23. The odds look short on the surface, but Mahomes simply isn’t losing this one.
Now, I want to focus on the nominees for Best NBA Player. Nikola Jokic is a massive favorite over Joel Embiid to win this category. Jokic led his team to an NBA title, but Embiid claimed the NBA MVP award this past season.
It’s easy to see why the bookies favor Jokic. He ultimately had a greater impact on the court this past season than Embiid. The Serbian big led Denver to its first title while averaging 24.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game on the season.
Embiid was also incredible this past regular season. However, his value just doesn’t match up with what Jokic provided for his team in the playoffs. You could say that Jimmy Butler was a bigger difference-maker than Embiid after leading Miami to its second NBA Finals appearance in four years.
Jayson Tatum is also a nominee for Best NBA Player. He got the Celtics back into the Eastern Conference Finals, although the team fell short once again. I doubt he will win this award, but I think he’ll capture an ESPY Award eventually.
Ultimately, I think Jokic is the guy you have to pick to win Best NBA Player. The Nuggets had a magical season, and his efforts were the reason why Denver won its first title. No other player had a bigger impact than Jokic.
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