NEXT Athlete

The NEXT Athlete award was given out every year by ESPN the Magazine to one or more athletes chosen as a future leader or trailblazer in their sport. The winning athlete(s) was featured on the cover of the late January issue of ESPN the Magazine. On April 30, 2019, ESPN announced that it would cease paper publishing in September of that year. A multiplatform monthly story called ESPN Cover Story was launched to continue the magazine's legacy featuring a digital poster-style cover and profile in cover story fashion, including the continuation of NEXT Athlete proclamations and The Body Issue, but these two features did not return.

Historically, the winners of this award have gone on to exceptional careers, or at the very least early success in their careers, with the exception of a few.

Past Winners/Nominees
Winners After 2009

2010 Kevin Durant

2011 Buster Posey

2012 Cam Newton

2013 Kyrie Irving