- Tom Brady and Naomi Osaka are projected to win Best Athlete.
- LaMelo Ball is the Breakthrough Athlete betting favorite with -150 odds.
- The Gonzaga Bulldogs vs UCLA Final Four game has the shortest odds to win Best Game.
NEW YORK - The 2021 ESPYs are set to take place on Saturday and betting odds are now available for some of the bigger categories.
There are many expected favorites along with some possible underdog winners.
Arguably the most prestigious of all the ESPY awards is the Best Athlete category. This year there is an overwhelming favorite on the Men’s side but an open race on the Women’s.
Best Athlete - Men’s Sports
Tom Brady is a huge favorite to win this category, he’s actually the biggest favorite of any category that’s listed on online gambling sites.
After his 43-year-old season in which he threw for over 4,600 yards and won a Super Bowl, it’s hard to argue against him being the betting favorite.
Best Athlete Men’s Betting Odds
- Tom Brady -500
- Nikola Jokic +400
- Connor McDavid +650
- Lewis Hamilton +650
The other options on the list all had incredible years in their own right, but none of which stack up to Brady. Plus, nobody carries name-value quite like Brady which, for better or for worse, matters.
Best Athlete - Women’s Sports
Naomi Osaka currently has the shortest odds of any, but the competition is fierce. Simone Biles and Amanda Nunes are both considered the unrivaled GOATs of their respective sports and are close behind Osaka on sports betting sites odds boards.
Best Athlete Women's Odds
- Naomi Osaka +110
- Simone Biles +150
- Amanda Nunes +250
- Breanna Stweart +650
Many would argue that both Biles and Nunes have a case to win this category and could both very well do so.
Best Breakthrough Athlete
LaMelo Ball is the favorite to win Breakthrough Athlete of the Year over the likes of Justin Herbert, Chase Young and Crystal Dangerfield.
Ball was named the NBA Rookie of the Year and joined the history books in a couple of different ways throughout the season. Add in the fact that he is a Ball brother, and it’s reasonable why he’s the favorite.
Best Breakthrough Athlete Odds
- LaMelo Ball -150
- Justin Herbert +170
- Chase Young +350
- Crystal Dangerfield +950
Justin Herbert has a case to be made for him, but possibly even more people would argue that Ball is deserving of shorter odds than what he’s given already.
Best Game
For many, this is a no-doubter. The Gonzaga vs UCLA Final Four game where Jalen Suggs banked in the 40-foot heave at the buzzer in overtime is well-deserving of the shortest odds of any category aside from Brady in Best Athlete.
Best Game Odds
- Gonzaga vs UCLA Final Four -270
- Ravens vs Browns Week 14 +350
- Stanford vs Arizona Women’s Championship +450
- Jets vs Oilers Game 4 +500
This may be the clearest winner of all the categories, despite what the odds may say.
The odds are a little long, but probably still worth it considering how incredible that game was.
Other ESPYs Categories
Best Men’s College Athlete - Trevor Lawrence is the -125 favorite with DeVonta Smith, the Heisman favorite, has +200 odds.
Best Women’s College Athlete - Odicci Alexander has EVEN odds as the favorite while Paige Bueckers is next with +150 odds.
Best Team - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are listed at -125 after winning the Super Bowl, but the undefeated national champions, Alabama Crimson Tide, have +350 odds as the third choice on the board.