Caitlin Clark goes head-to-head with A’ja Wilson, Coco Gauff and Nelly Korda for hotly-debated award

ESPN announced the nominees for their ESPY Awards, with Caitlin Clark – who was nominated for three awards – up for “Best Athlete, Women’s Sports” alongside A’ja Wilson, Nelly Korda and Coco Gauff

Caitlin Clark has been nominated alongside U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff, golf phenom Nelly Korda, and fellow WNBA star A’ja Wilson for best women’s sports athlete in ESPN’s 2024 ESPY Awards.

After a historic final year at Iowa and an impressive start to life in the WNBA, Clark has collected nominations in three categories in the ESPY (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) Awards. The 22-year-old will be up for “Best Athlete, Women’s Sports,” “Best College Athlete, Women’s Sports,” and “Best Record-Breaking Performance.”

Clark took the sports world by storm during her record-breaking spell at Iowa, leading the Hawkeyes to back-to-back national championship appearances and departing college as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA history. The 22-year-old has brought her immense platform to the pros as part of an acclaimed draft class in which she was the No. 1 overall pick.

Since arriving in the league, Clark has become one of the most talked about figures in sports. Following a slow start to life with the Indiana Fever, Clark – who narrowly missed out on a spot on Team USA for the Olympics – is averaging 16.3 points per game along with 5.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists.

While she isn’t going to Paris this summer, Clark’s popularity and performances have seen her sit second in the first round of WNBA All-Star voting behind Wilson. The rookie has improved as the season has unfolded, with her game steadily adjusting to the physical league.

But two-time WNBA MVP Wilson enjoyed a stellar year, too, and will look to win the ESPY Award herself. In the fall, her Las Vegas Aces became the first back-to-back WNBA champions since the Los Angeles Sparks over two decades ago, with the forward named Finals MVP for her efforts.

Wilson is set to be one of the key stars for Team USA as it looks to defend its Olympic gold. Her Aces are also in the running for a playoff berth as they eye a historic three-peat, with Wilson averaging a dominant 27.8 points and 11.6 rebounds per game.

Naturally, debate over the award has spread to social media. One user wrote: “Caitlin does NOT deserve an award for being popular!!! She hasn’t done anything in the WNBA to earn an Espy!! Not a —- thing!!”

Another replied, writing: “The award is for her college career. Name a better college season than Clark’s historic numbers. Aja wasn’t even MVP last year. Maybe put some effort into the actual subject matter.”

Elsewhere, Gauff enjoyed a breakout season as she took the tennis world by storm. The 20-year-old has been in fine form at major tournaments recently, winning the U.S. Open while reaching the semifinals at both the Australian Open and French Open earlier this year. Gauff won the women’s doubles title at Roland Garros, and she currently holds career-high rankings of world No. 2 in singles and world No. 1 in doubles by the WTA.

While she has struggled more recently, Korda earned her ESPY nomination thanks to her dominant start to the year. She tallied a record-tying five-straight LPGA Tour wins – including her second career major title at the Chevron Championship – and secured six in seven when she shot 14-under at the Mizuho Americans Open.

The adjacent men’s category will see Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes defend his crown against Los Angeles Dodgers phenom Shohei Ohtani, Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, and Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid. Despite losing the Stanley Cup Finals in seven games, McDavid was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy for his historic postseason performance.