Land of 10,000 Lakes sports heroes hope to make a splash at ESPYs Wednesday night

Mia Laube KSTP

Eight athletes with Minnesota ties are up for awards at the 2022 ESPY awards show. These representatives of the Land of 10,000 Lakes are being recognized for contributions to social causes, memorable match performances and overall greatness.

See a list of the nominees below and watch Steph Curry host the ESPN awards show at 7 p.m. on 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.

Anthony Barr – football – nominated for “Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian” award

  • Minnesota connection: Barr played the past 7 NFL seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.

Brock Lesnar – wrestling – nominated for “Best WWE Moment” for match Nos. 1 and 7

  • Minnesota connection: Lesnar won NCAA and Big Ten wrestling titles with the University of Minnesota.

Chet Holmgren – basketball – nominated for “Best College Athlete, Men’s Sports”

  • Minnesota connection: A star out of Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis, Holmgren was named 2021 Minnesota Mr. Basketball.

Ian Seidenfeld – table tennis – nominated for “Best Athlete with a Disability, Men’s Sports”

  • Minnesota connection: The Lakeville native and Paralympian attends the University of Minnesota.

Karl-Anthony Towns – basketball – nominated for “Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian” award

  • Minnesota connection: Towns has played for the Minnesota Timberwolves for his entire NBA career.

Paige Bueckers – basketball – nominated for “Best Game” with the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team in their double-overtime defeat of North Carolina State during March Madness

  • Minnesota connection: Bueckers was raised in Twin Cities suburbs and was named 2020 Minnesota Miss Basketball after a nationally-recognized high school career at Hopkins.

Suni Lee – gymnastics – nominated for “Best Athlete, Women’s Sports” and “Best Olympian, Women’s Sports”

  • Minnesota connection: Lee, of Hmong descent, was born in St. Paul and started training at the early age of 6 in Little Canada.

Sylvia Fowles – basketball – nominated for “Best WNBA Player” for the 2021 season

  • Minnesota connection: Fowles, who is partway through her final WNBA season, is known as a Minnesota legend after playing for the Lynx since 2015.

A full list of awards and nominees can be found on ESPN’s press website.