The Los Angeles Lakers, which has walked away with the much-coveted NBA champion for sixteenth time last Thursday, will likely harvest another three victories as the team, player Koby Bryant and coach Phil Jackson were nominated for this year's prestigious ESPY Awards.
The newly crowned team were nominated for best team, Bryant was nominated for best male athlete and NBA player. Phil Jackson got an nod for best coach.
An annual awards event created and broadcasted by American cable television network ESPN in 1993, the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly (ESPY) Awards were given to honor individual and team athletic achievement and other sports-related performance each year.
The awards event was billed as the all-sports network's athletic version of the Oscars and awards will be presented July 14 at the Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles. Seth Meyers will host the ceremony.
Since 2004, the awards were chosen only through voting by fans. This year's voting takes place through July 10 for most categories. Voting for best team will continue throughout the live telecast.
The Lakers will compete for best team honors against the NCAA football champion Alabama Crimson Tide, the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks, the University of Connecticut women's basketball team, the NFL champion New Orleans Saints and Major League Baseball champion New York Yankees.
For best male athlete, Bryant is pitted against fellow NBA star LeBron James, Saints' quarterback Drew Brees, NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson and St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols.
Jamaican sprinter and three-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt is nominated for Best Record-breaking Performance with Swiss top-seeded defending champion Roger Federer -- Most Grand Slam singles titles holder -- in addition to other three teams and individuals.
Also during the ceremony, the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance will be presented to Denver Nuggets coach George Karl, a prostate cancer survivor who was diagnosed with neck and throat cancer this year, while the Best Comeback award will be presented to tennis star Kim Clijsters, the first unseeded woman in history to win the U.S. Open.