The Best-dressed Stars in ESPY Awards History: Ciara Embracing Cutouts, Kylie Jenner Sparkling in Gold and More Looks

The ESPY Awards, established in 1993 to honor outstanding achievements in sports, have evolved into a prestigious event that celebrates not only athletic prowess but also red carpet fashion. Over the years, the ESPYs have drawn top athletes and celebrities who use this platform to showcase their style alongside their sporting talents.

Here, WWD looks at the best-dressed red carpet stars in the event’s history.

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Ciara

Ciara wore a plunging dress by Alexandre Vauthier with Giuseppe Zanotti shoes for the 2019 red carpet event.

Nina Dobrev

Nina Dobrev wore a red dress from Versace’s pre-fall 2021 collection for the ESPYs.

Kylie Jenner

Kylie Jenner went gold in a sparkling gown designed by Shady Zeineldine at the EPSYs.

See the complete list in the gallery below.

A Look Back at ESPY Awards Best Dressed Red Carpet Stars

The 2024 ESPY Awards will air live on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. The event will take place at The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

See the full list of nominees for the 2024 ESPY Awards.

Best Athlete, Men’s Sports

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels / Los Angeles Dodgers
Scottie Scheffler, Golf
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

Best Athlete, Women’s Sports

Caitlin Clark, Iowa Women’s Basketball
Coco Gauff, Tennis
Nelly Korda, Golf
A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

Best Breakthrough Athlete

Haleigh Bryant, LSU Gymnastics
C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Juju Watkins, USC Women’s Basketball
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

Best Record-breaking Performance

49ers Christian McCaffrey scores a TD for a record-breaking 17 straight games.
Caitlin Clark becomes NCAA’s all-time scoring leader breaking Pete Maravich’s record.
Tara VanDerveer, Stanford Women’s Basketball, gets 1,203rd win to pass Coach K for most by any coach in NCAA basketball history.
Max Verstappen wins record 10th consecutive race with victory at Italian Grand Prix.

Best Championship Performance

Michigan’s Blake Corum and Will Johnson, 2024 College Football National Championship MVPs
Kayla Martello, Boston College Women’s Lacrosse
Midge Purce, NJ/NY Gotham FC — NWSL Championship MVP
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics

Best Comeback Athlete

Simone Biles, Gymnast
Paige Bueckers, University of Connecticut Women’s Basketball
Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns
Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans

Best Play

Jayda Coleman calls GAME sending Oklahoma to their fourth straight championship — NCAA Softball 6/4/2024
Anthony Edwards Dunk of the Year 3/18/24 — NBA
Alabama scores on 4th & 31 to win vs. Auburn 11/25/23
Lamar Jackson caught his own pass & ran with it 1/28/24 — NFL

Best Team

South Carolina Gamecocks, NCAA Women’s Basketball
Kansas City Chiefs, NFL
Michigan Wolverines, NCAA Football
Las Vegas Aces, WNBA 
University of Connecticut Huskies, NCAA Men’s Basketball
Oklahoma Sooners, NCAA Softball
Boston Celtics, NBA
Florida Panthers, NHL
Texas Rangers, MLB

Best College Athlete, Men’s Sports

Jayden Daniels, LSU Football
Zach Edey, Purdue Men’s Basketball
Ousmane Sylla, Clemson Soccer
Pat Kavanagh, Notre Dame Lacrosse

Best College Athlete, Women’s Sports

Haleigh Bryant, LSU Gymnastics
Caitlin Clark, Iowa Basketball
Sarah Franklin, Wisconsin Volleyball
Izzy Scane, Northwestern Lacrosse

Best Athlete With a Disability

Jaydin Blackwell, World Champion Sprinter
Ezra Frech, World Champion High Jumper
Brenna Huckaby, Snowboarding Champion
Oksana Masters, Cross-Country Skier/Hand Cyclist

Best NFL Player

Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers

Best MLB Player

Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves
Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
Corey Seager, Texas Rangers

Best NHL Player

Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

Best NBA Player

Luka Dončić, Dallas Mavericks
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

Best WNBA Player

Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx
Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty
Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun
A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

Best Driver

Ryan Blaney, NASCAR
Matt Hagan, NHRA
Álex Palou, IndyCar
Max Verstappen, F1

Best UFC Fighter

Islam Makhachev
Sean O’Malley
Alex Pereira
Zhang Weili

Best Boxer

Terence Crawford
Seniesa Estrada
Naoya Inoue
Oleksandr Usyk

Best Soccer Player

Aitana Bonmatí, Spain
Naomi Girma, USWNT
Vinicius Junior, Brazil/Real Madrid
Kylian Mbappé, France/Real Madrid

Best Golfer

Nelly Korda
Xander Schauffele
Scottie Scheffler
Lilia Vu

Best Tennis Player

Carlos Alcaraz
Novak Djokovic
Coco Gauff
Iga Swiatek

Launch Gallery: A Look Back at ESPY Awards Best Dressed Red Carpet Stars

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