Peyton Manning, Serena Williams, Gabby Douglas and Kevin Durant were among the superstar athletes receiving nominations Wednesday for the inaugural Kids’ Choice Sports Awards, which will be presented in July at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion.
An offshoot of the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards—which honor actors, celebrities and athletes in a ceremony usually soaked in green slime—the inaugural Sports Awards event will be hosted July 17 by Michael Strahan, a former NFL standout who co-hosts “Live with Kelly and Michael” and appears on Fox’s NFL pre-game show.
Winners will be chosen through online voting, which will begin June 12 at www.nick.com/sports.
Manning and Durant were nominated for best male athlete, along with Tom Brady, Dale Earnhardt Jr., LeBron James, Derek Jeter, Dwyane Wade and Tiger Woods. Nominated for best female athlete were Douglas, Williams, Gracie Gold,
Candace Parker, Danica Patrick, Hope Solo and Lindsey Vonn.
Los Angeles Dodger Yasiel Puig and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were nominated for favorite newcomer, along with Skylar Diggins of the WNBA, the Washington Nationals’ Bryce Harper, tennis star Sloane Stephens
and Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson.
The ceremony also includes off-beat categories such as “Sickest Moves,” “King and Queen of Swag” and “Don’t Try This at Home.”
