The annual ESPYs award show kicks off at 9 p.m. ET. Tune in to ESPN or watch the live stream HERE. Below are the 10 categories and the predicted winners in each.
Best Male Athlete:
Miguel Cabrera, LeBron James, Adrian Peterson, Michael Phelps.
My Prediction: LeBron James.
En route to his second straight NBA title, James only improved from his great season last year. The 2013 NBA and Finals MVP awards helped to solidify his status as the best basketball player in the world. He recorded 26.8 points, 7.3 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game.
Best Female Athlete:
Gabby Douglas, Missy Franklin, Britney Griner, Serena Williams.
My Prediction: Serena Williams.
William's surprise defeat in the fourth round of Wimbledon doesn't take away from the dominance she showed all season long. She breezed through most of her competition, and she won her second French Open title.
Best Team:
US Women's Gymnastics, San Francisco Giants, Alabama Football, Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Blackhawks, Miami Heat, Oklahoma Softball.
My Prediction: Alabama Football.
Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide have won three BCS National Championship games in four years. A CNN article this year suggested Alabama could be college football's new dynasty, which is hard to argue against. Alabama went 13-1 last season as they won their second straight BCS title.
Best Comeback:
Peyton Manning, Adrian Peterson, Buster Posey, Mariano Rivera.
My Prediction: Adrian Peterson.
Not only did Peterson recover from his ACL surgery incredibly fast, he went on to rush for 2,097 yards while carrying his team. Peterson's efforts won him the NFL MVP award.
Best Breakthrough Athlete:
Colin Kaepernick, Johnny Manziel, Yasiel Puig, Mike Trout, Russell Wilson.
My Prediction: Johnny Manziel.
This category is close. Johnny Football wins by a hair. Not only did he become the first freshman to ever win the Heisman Trophy, he broke a slew of NCAA freshman records, including rushing yards by a quarterback in a season and total offense.
Best Championship Performance:
Joe Flacco, LeBron James, Brad Keselowski, Pablo Sandoval.
My Prediction: Joe Flacco
Flacco's championship performance was enough to earn him a $120 million contract. He completed 22 of 33 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns, leading his team to a 34-31 Super Bowl win over the San Francisco 49ers.
Best Game:
Bruins Vs. Leafs (First round, Game 7), Heat Vs. Spurs (NBA Finals Game 6), Ravens Vs. Broncos (AFC Divisional Playoff)
My Prediction: Heat Vs. Spurs (NBA Finals Game 6)
Game 6 of the NBA Finals was one of the best basketball games in recent memory. The back-and-forth series looked over in the waning seconds of regulation — until Ray Allen made a last-second three-point shot to force overtime. The Heat won in OT and ultimately defeated the Spurs in Game 7. The game was so good, LeBron didn't even bother to put his headband back on.
Best Upset:
Florida Gulf Coast over Georgetown, Louisville women over Baylor, Marquez over Pacquiao, Texas A&M over Alabama.
My Prediction: Florida Gulf Coast over Georgetown.
Who saw that coming?
Best Record-Breaking Performance:
Drew Brees (breaks Johnny Unitas' TD record), Calvin Johnson (breaks Jerry Rice's season yardage record), Michael Phelps (most decorated Olympian), Abby Wambach (sets international scoring record).
My Prediction: Michael Phelps.
Brees and Johnson's records are impressive, but they're also playing in a pass-happy league. Phelps 22 Olympic medals are unheard of, and the record will likely remain unbroken for some time.
Best Moment:
Jack Hoffman (TD run in Nebraska spring game), Alex Morgan (winning goal vs. Canada in Olympic semifinal), Andy Murray (winning gold medal at Olympics in Wimbledon), Chuck Pagano (returning to Colts).
My Prediction: Andy Murray.
His win over Roger Federer in the 2012 Olympics earned him his first Olympic gold medal. It was a huge victory for Murray and a defining moment in his pro career.
*Award information obtained from ESPN.
