An emotional Katie Schumacher-Cawley accepted the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance with her husband and children looking on. The Penn State women’s volleyball coach was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer in September. She continued coaching without missing a practice and became the first woman to guide a team to the NCAA national championship.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has collected about every possible accolade this past season. He might need to get another trophy case as he added a couple more at an annual sports award show. Gilgeous-Alexander was named the ESPY Award winner for 2025 Male Athlete of the Year.

ESPY Awards honored Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as Best Male Athlete, Simone Biles as Best Female Athlete, Liona Maher as Best Breakthrough Athlete, and Suni Lee as Comeback Athlete of the Year, celebrating their perseverance and determination in their respective sports.

Biles earned two major awards, Gilgeous-Alexander was crowned Best Male Athlete, and Oscar Robertson received the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage.