LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nickelodeon today announced that Seattle Seahawks’ two-time Super Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson clinched his second straight title as host of Kids’ Choice Sports 2016, the only show that celebrates kids and families’ love of sports and top professional athletes. Also announced today is this year’s roster of superstar athlete nominees, leading up to the start of online voting on Nick.com and the Nick App on Monday, May 23. Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Sports 2016 will be taped live from UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles on Thursday, July 14, and premiere on Sunday, July 17, at 8-9:30 p.m. (ET/PT).
After scoring three orange mohawked blimp awards at Kids’ Choice Sports 2015, Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry dominates the pack this year with three nominations defending his titles for “Best Male Athlete,” “Clutch Player of the Year,” and “Sickest Moves.” Trailing closely are Cam Newton, Rob Gronkowski, Cristiano Ronaldo, Serena Williams, Elena Delle Donne, Odell Beckham Jr., Bryce Harper, Russell Westbrook, Antonio Brown and Von Miller, with two nods each. Additional MVPs, All-Stars and sports icons competing for trophies are LeBron James, Ronda Rousey, Alex Morgan, Holly Holm, Usain Bolt, James Harden, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Lydia Ko, Novak Djokovic, Peyton Manning, Kevin Durant, Carli Lloyd, Kyrie Irving, Lionel Messi, Skylar Diggins, Jimmie Johnson, J.J. Watt, Katie Ledecky, and many more.
Nick.com/sports will serve as the official destination for Kids’ Choice Sports 2016. Beginning Monday, May 23, kids will be able to cast their votes for their favorite athletes and all-star moments from the past year, play a brand new Kids’ Choice game, watch sports-themed short-form videos and check out photo galleries of athletic all-stars online and on the Nick App.
Click here for Russell Wilson’s bio: http://www.russellwilson3.com.
Kids’ Choice Sports 2016 sponsors are Always®, FCA US LLC, Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes®, Nationwide® and Popsicle®.
The categories and nominees for Kids’ Choice Sports 2016 are:
BEST MALE ATHLETE
They are,
simply put, the best athletes in the world. Driving the offense or
barreling through the toughest defense, they never cease to amaze fans
with their athleticism, moves and mastery of the game. In short, the
nominees for these two categories represent the best male and female
athletes currently competing in traditional sports.
Bryce Harper (MLB, Washington Nationals)
Cam Newton
(NFL, Carolina Panthers)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Soccer, Real
Madrid C.F.)
Kyle Busch (NASCAR)
LeBron James
(NBA, Cleveland Cavaliers)
Stephen Curry (NBA, Golden State
Warriors)
BEST FEMALE ATHLETE
Alex
Morgan (NWSL, Orlando Pride)
Elena Delle Donne (WNBA,
Chicago Sky)
Jamie Anderson (Professional Snowboarder)
Katie
Ledecky (Competitive Swimmer)
Lydia Ko (Professional
Golfer)
Serena Williams (WTA)
FAVORITE NEWCOMER
The
excitement surrounding a new sports prospect can be incredible,
especially when that prospect starts to deliver on the anticipation of
greatness. The nominees in this category represent the first or second
year pros who have lived up to the hype--in other words, the newbie that
is most likely to succeed.
Jewell Loyd (WNBA, Seattle Storm)
Karl-Anthony Towns
(NBA, Minnesota Timberwolves)
Kristaps Porzingis (NBA, New
York Knicks)
Simone Biles (Professional Artistic Gymnast)
Taylor
Fritz (WTA)
Todd Gurley (NFL, Los Angeles Rams)
HANDS OF GOLD
Every season has
its most-talked-about, spectacular or awe-inspiring catches and saves.
The nominees in this category represent the MLB, NFL and NHL athletes
who have made the most unbelievable, highlight reel-worthy catches and
incredible saves of the year.
Andrelton Simmons (MLB, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim)
Antonio
Brown (NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers)
Corey Crawford (NHL,
Chicago Blackhawks)
Odell Beckham Jr. (NFL, New York Giants)
Rob
Gronkowski (NFL, New England Patriots)
Salvador Perez
(MLB, Kansas City Royals)
CLUTCH PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Teammates
rely on these athletes to make the plays when it counts the most. Their
participation is clutch to the success of their teams, and the fans know
it. The nominees in this category come from a variety of sports and
alter the game just by being on the field.
Carli Lloyd (NWSL, Houston Dash)
James Harden (NBA,
Houston Rockets)
Kevin Durant (NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder)
Patrick
Kane (NHL, Chicago Blackhawks)
Peyton Manning (NFL,
Denver Broncos)
Stephen Curry (NBA, Golden State Warriors)
SICKEST MOVES
Professional
athletes make it look so easy that sometimes fans forget the sheer
agility required to play with the best of the best--until they see the
nominees of this category do their thing. They’re the soccer players
with the mind-blowing dribble, the hockey players who can do amazing
things on skates or the football players who dazzle us with their fancy
footwork.
Alexander Ovechkin (NHL, Washington Capitals)
Kyrie Irving
(NBA, Cleveland Cavaliers)
Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona and
the Argentina Men’s National Team)
Odell Beckham Jr. (NFL,
New York Giants)
Russell Westbrook (NBA, Oklahoma City
Thunder)
Stephen Curry (NBA, Golden State Warriors)
DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME AWARD
They
flip, fly and soar their way into the highlight reels of the X Games and
other action sports competitions on the regular, and kids can’t get
enough. They’re the death-defying athletes of slopestyle, the BMX racers
or the skateboarders who risk life and limb every day to accomplish the
impossible.
Alise Post (Professional BMX Racer)
Ashley Caldwell
(Professional Aerial Skier)
Danny Davis (Professional
Snowboarder)
Nyjah Huston (Professional Skateboarder)
Ronda
Rousey (UFC, MMA Fighter)
Satoko Miyahara (Professional
Figure Skater)
KING OF SWAG
All professional
athletes do incredible things, but there are a select few who also look
incredible while they’re doing it. The male and female nominees in this
category are the best dressed and most stylin’ athletes off the court.
The King of Swag and the Queen of Swag are two separate awards that will
be presented together.
Andre Iguodala (NBA, Golden State Warriors)
Antonio Brown
(NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers)
Cam Newton (NFL, Carolina
Panthers)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Soccer, Real Madrid C.F.)
Russell
Westbrook (NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder)
Von Miller (NFL,
Denver Broncos)
QUEEN OF SWAG
Caroline
Wozniacki (WTA)
Elena Delle Donne (WNBA, Chicago Sky)
Leticia
Bufoni (Professional Skateboarder)
Misty Copeland
(Professional Ballet Dancer)
Skylar Diggins (WNBA, Dallas
Wings)
Swintayla “Swin” Cash (WNBA, New York Liberty)
BEST CANNON
Some of the most
incredible arms in sports belong to athletes from the worlds of
baseball, football and tennis. This category honors the outfielders,
pitchers, catchers, quarterbacks and tennis players with the strongest
arms in the game.
Aaron Rodgers (NFL, Green Bay Packers)
Bryce Harper
(MLB, Washington Nationals)
Novak Djokovic (ATP)
Russell
Wilson (NFL, Seattle Seahawks)
Serena Williams (WTA)
Tom
Brady (NFL, New England Patriots)
BIGGEST POWERHOUSE
This award
honors those players that are an undeniable force on the field and on
the court. Like a freight train or a Mack Truck, these athletes have so
much power in their play that they cannot be stopped. They are the
sluggers who hit the farthest homeruns, the tennis players with the
fastest serves, the power forwards that slam dunk with such force they
can shatter a backboard, and the running backs that move with such power
that it takes an entire team to stop them.
Draymond Green (NBA, Golden State Warriors)
Holly Holm
(UFC, MMA Fighter)
J.J. Watt (NFL, Houston Texans)
Prince
Fielder (MLB, Texas Rangers)
Rob Gronkowski (NFL, New
England Patriots)
Von Miller (NFL, Denver Broncos)
NEED FOR SPEED
This award
honors those players that live life in the fast lane. Whether it’s
running, driving, skiing or boarding, these athletes bring the fast and
furious to the race. They are the lightening quick speed demons that
won’t stop until they’re in first, and the rest of the competition eats
their dust.
Usain Bolt (Professional Track and Field Athlete)
Candace
Hill (Professional Track and Field Athlete)
Billy Hamilton
(MLB, Cincinnati Reds)
Jimmie Johnson (NASCAR)
Ted
Ligety (Alpine Ski Racer)
Chloe Kim (Professional
Snowboarder)
Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Sports 2016 is produced by Done + Dusted in association with Nickelodeon Productions. Jay Schmalholz and Shelly Sumpter Gillyard are executive producers. Constance Schwartz and Michael Strahan of SMAC Entertainment will serve as executive producers, alongside Ian Stewart and Hamish Hamilton of Done + Dusted with Hamilton also serving as director of the show.
About Nickelodeon:
Nickelodeon, now in its 37th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 20 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ:VIA)((NASDAQ:VIAB).
