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Olympic stars Phelps, Biles among finalists for ESPY Awards

FILE - In this Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017 file photo, United States' Serena Williams makes a backhand return to her sister Venus during the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook are among the finalists for best male athlete at the ESPY Awards. Tennis star Serena Williams and gymnast Simone Biles are two of the finalists for best female athlete. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)
FILE - In this Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017 file photo, United States' Serena Williams makes a backhand return to her sister Venus during the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook are among the finalists for best male athlete at the ESPY Awards. Tennis star Serena Williams and gymnast Simone Biles are two of the finalists for best female athlete. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File) FILE - In this Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017 file photo, United States' Serena Williams makes a backhand return to her sister Venus during the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook are among the finalists for best male athlete at the ESPY Awards. Tennis star Serena Williams and gymnast Simone Biles are two of the finalists for best female athlete. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

By Associated Press 2 min read

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Multiple stars from last summer’s Rio Olympics highlight this year’s ESPY Awards nominees for best male and female athletes.

Swimmer Michael Phelps, who won five gold medals in Rio, joins National League MVP Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook as the four nominees for best male athlete.

Gymnast Simone Biles and swimmer Katie Ledecky, who each won four gold medals in Rio, are two of the four female finalists. The other two are tennis great Serena Williams and Candace Parker of the WNBA champion LA Sparks.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant are two of the nominees for best championship performance. Brady helped the Patriots overcome a 25-point deficit for the largest comeback in Super Bowl history and earn his fifth ring.

Durant was the NBA Finals MVP after averaging 35.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists in the Warriors’ five-game series win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.