Sports Illustrated Announces Return to Wynn Las Vegas for Sportsperson of the Year Awards

Cal Raleigh, Michael Phelps, Breanna Stewart & Napheesa Collier to be honored alongside the Sportsperson of the Year at the January 6^th ceremony

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‍NEW YORK (December 18, 2025) – Today Sports Illustrated® announced the return of its Sportsperson of the Year celebration to Las Vegas as well as four recipients of its annual awards. The ceremony will take place on Tuesday, January 6, 2026 at Wynn Las Vegas, the official home of Sportsperson 2025.

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The 2025 Sportsperson of the Year will be announced on January 2, 2026. Sports Illustrated will also honor a select group of other athletes who defined the year in sports. They include:

• Muhammad Ali Legacy Award: Most Decorated Olympian of All-Time, Global Mental Health Advocate, Founder of the Michael Phelps Foundation Michael Phelps 
  
  • The Muhammad Ali Legacy Award honors a sports figure who has used their platform to create lasting impact—someone who has turned the pursuit of victory into a passion for philanthropy and service. Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time with 28 total medals and 23 golds, is recognized for his tireless efforts over the last decade to raise awareness of mental health issues and treatment advocacy. It is a deeply personal mission for Phelps, whose openness and honesty about his own battles with depression and anxiety have made him an example of hope and support around the world.

• Breakout Star of the Year: MLB All-Star, Platinum and Gold Glove Winner, MLBPA Player of the Year, Silver Slugger Winner and Sporting News MLB Player of the Year Cal Raleigh 
  
  • The Breakout Star of the Year award recognizes an athlete who unexpectedly dominated the sports conversation, making the leap from skilled performer to household name. In his fifth major league season, the Seattle Mariners slugger put up a historic performance by hitting 60 home runs, the most ever by a catcher or a switch-hitter. Raleigh, a first-time All-Star in 2025, followed his regular season heroics with five postseason home runs, leading the Mariners to Game 7 of the American League Championship Series and the cusp of the franchise’s first World Series appearance.

• Innovators of the Year: 2024 WNBA DPOY, 5x WNBA All-Star, 2x Olympic Gold Medalist, and Co-Founder of Unrivaled Napheesa Collier & 3x WNBA Champion, 2x WNBA MVP, Olympic Gold Medalist, and Co-Founder of Unrivaled Breanna Stewart 
  
  • The Innovator of the Year award salutes a person or group shaping the future of sports with cutting-edge success in performance, business or technology. January 2025 saw the launch of the wildly successful Unrivaled basketball league, the brainchild of Collier and Stewart, two of the biggest stars in women’s hoops. The pair set out to create a new model that gives players a meaningful stake in the game and shows that any league—women’s or men’s—can build engagement and a sustainable business that benefits players and fans alike.

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“This year represents meaningful change that will impact generations of basketball players and fans to come, and I’m honored Sports Illustrated is recognizing this work,” said Stewart. “It’s a special honor to be awarded alongside Napheesa, and I’m looking forward to celebrating the inspiring innovation and excellence of our fellow awardees in January.”

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“Being named Sports Illustrated’s Innovators of the Year with Breanna is an incredible honor,” said Collier. “I’ve always believed that athletes have the power to shape the future of our sport, and I’m grateful to be recognized, along with my co-founder, for pushing those boundaries. This moment motivates me to keep building, keep advocating, and keep creating opportunities for the next generation.”

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In its 71st year, Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year honor recognizes the athlete or team that best represents, in character and performance, the ideals of excellence and sportsmanship. Previous Sportsperson of the Year winners include Simone Biles, Stephen Curry, Tom Brady, Megan Rapinoe, LeBron James, Serena Williams, Derek Jeter, Michael Phelps, Arthur Ashe, Muhammad Ali and Billie Jean King, among others. This marks the second year that Minute Media, operator of Sports Illustrated’s editorial business, is bringing the honoree event to the world’s largest gathering of innovation.  

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“Through the decades, SI’s Sportsperson of the Year franchise has evolved from a singular moment in a magazine into a multifaceted celebration of the best of the year in sports,” said Steve Cannella, Editor in Chief of Sports Illustrated. “We’re excited to grow this event in Las Vegas and can’t wait to honor Michael, Cal, Breanna and Napheesa for their performance, their vision and their impact on the sports world and beyond.”

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If you’re interested in requesting a press credential to cover the event, please submit a request HERE.

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About Sports Illustrated

For 70 years, Sports Illustrated (SI) has been recognized for shaping modern culture at the intersection of sports, lifestyle, and entertainment. SI is a 360-degree platform that unites athletes, teams and fans worldwide through quality content, innovative digital experiences, unforgettable events, and original products. Its award-winning media arm brings powerful storytelling to life through probing profiles and up-to-date news on SI.com, across social media platforms, and through its renowned print magazine whose cover is widely regarded as the most coveted space in sports media. SI brings its unique perspective to marquee events and captivating brand activations including: “SI The Party”, Club SI, the Sportsperson of the Year Awards, SI Swimsuit Launch Weekend, and the SI Circuit Series.

For more information, visit SI.com.

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About Minute Media

Minute Media is a global technology and content company specializing in sports and culture. Minute Media's proprietary tech platform enables the creation, distribution and monetization of digital content experiences. They own and operate leading sports content brands, including The Players' Tribune, FanSided, and 90min, and serve as the publisher of Sports Illustrated and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit across digital and print platforms. Minute Media also provides sports highlight rights through their recent technology acquisition of STN Video. The company reaches 200M monthly users, powering 1,500+ content creators and 400+ distribution partners across 14 global markets in 10 languages. They also reach a robust print subscriber base through the publication of Sports Illustrated, Sports Illustrated Swim and Sports Illustrated Kids magazines. Minute Media has offices in New York, London, Tel-Aviv, São Paulo and Asia.

For more information, visit www.MinuteMedia.com.

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About Wynn Las Vegas

Wynn Resorts is the recipient of more Forbes Travel Guide Five Star Awards than any other independent hotel company in the world and in 2025 was once again honored on FORTUNE Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies list. Wynn and Encore Las Vegas have two luxury hotel towers with a total of 4,748 spacious hotel rooms, suites and villas. The resort features approximately 196,000 square feet of casino space, 22 signature dining experiences, 10 bars, two award-winning spas, approximately 560,000 rentable square feet of meeting and convention space, approximately 174,000 square feet of retail space as well as two showrooms, two nightclubs, a beach club, and recreation and leisure facilities, including Wynn Golf Club, an 18-hole championship golf course. For more information on Wynn and Encore Las Vegas, visit newsroom.wynnresorts.com.

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Press 

Sydney Northcutt

sydney.northcutt@minutemedia.com