BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The only kids’ show celebrating the world’s best athletes and epic sports moments, Kids’ Choice Sports 2017 welcomes back Seattle Seahawks’ franchise quarterback and Super Bowl champion, Russell Wilson as host. Airing Sunday, July 16, at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT), Kids’ Choice Sports 2017 will be taped live on Thursday, July 13, from UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.

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Pictured: Russell Wilson, host of KIDS' CHOICE SPORTS 2017 on Nickelodeon. Photo: Ben Watts / Nickelodeon. c 2015 Viacom International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

“Super excited and honored to three-peat and host Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Sports 2017. Kids get ready… three times the slime coming your way,” said Russell Wilson.

With 12 categories up for grabs, tennis powerhouse Serena Williams and competitive swimmer Katie Ledecky lead the pack with three nominations each as they go head-to-head in the category of “Favorite Female Athlete.” Williams also clenches nominations for “Queen of Swag,” and “Biggest Cannon,” while Ledecky scored nominations for “Clutch Player of the Year” and “Need for Speed.”

Additional athletes competing for the coveted mohawked blimp include Alex Morgan, Cristiano Ronaldo, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick, Lizzie Armanto, Mike Trout, Stephen Curry, Tom Brady and Von Miller, with two nods each. 28 superstar athletes are set to receive first-time nods including: Le’Veon Bell, Laurie Hernandez, Dak Prescott, DeAndre Jordan, Alyson Felix, Sergio Garcia, DeMarcus Cousins and others.

Nick.com/kids-choice-sports/ will serve as the official destination for Kids’ Choice Sports 2017. Beginning today, May 31, kids will be able to cast their votes for their favorite athletes and all-star moments from the past year. After voting, it’s game on, with all-star polls and sports-themed short-form videos for kids to check out online and on the Nick App.

Click HERE for Russell Wilson’s bio.

Sponsors for Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Sports 2017 include Airheads®, Capri Sun, Chrysler Pacifica, Crest®, Nationwide’s Make Safe Happen®, Popsicle® and Verizon.

The categories and nominees for Kids’ Choice Sports 2017 are:

FAVORITE MALE ATHLETE

They are, simply put, the best athletes of the year. Driving the offense or barreling through the toughest defense, they never cease to amaze fans with their athleticism, moves and mastery of the game. In short, the nominees for these two categories represent the best male and female athletes currently competing in traditional sports.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Soccer, Real Madrid C.F. La Liga)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (NASCAR)

Kris Bryant (MLB, Chicago Cubs)

LeBron James (NBA, Cleveland Cavaliers)

Stephen Curry (NBA, Golden State Warriors)

Tom Brady (NFL, New England Patriots)

FAVORITE FEMALE ATHLETE

Alex Morgan (NWSL, Olympique Lyonnais)

Katie Ledecky (Competitive Swimmer)

Mikaela Shiffrin (Skiing, US Ski Team)

Nneka Ogwumike (WNBA, Los Angeles Sparks)

Serena Williams (WTA)

Simone Biles (Professional Artistic Gymnast)

KING OF SWAG

All professional athletes do incredible things, but there are a select few who also look incredible while they’re doing it. The male and female nominees in this category are the best dressed and most stylin’ athletes off the court. The King of Swag and the Queen of Swag are two separate awards that will be presented together.

Cam Newton (NFL, Carolina Panthers)

Cristiano Ronaldo (Soccer, Real Madrid C.F.)

DeAndre Jordan (NBA, Los Angeles Clippers)

Rickie Fowler (Professional Golfer)

Russell Wilson (NFL, Seattle Seahawks)

Von Miller (NFL, Denver Broncos)

QUEEN OF SWAG

Caroline Wozniacki (WTA)

Danica Patrick (NASCAR)

Lizzie Armanto (Professional Skateboarder)

Serena Williams (WTA)

Skylar Diggins (WNBA, Dallas Wings)

Torah Bright (Professional Snowboarder)

BEST CANNON

Some of the most incredible arms in sports belong to athletes from the worlds of baseball, football and tennis. This category honors the outfielders, pitchers, catchers, quarterbacks and tennis players with the strongest arms in the game.

Aaron Rodgers (NFL, Green Bay Packers)

Andy Murray (Professional Tennis Player)

Justin Verlander (MLB, Detroit Tigers)

Matt Ryan (NFL, Atlanta Falcons)

Max Scherzer (MLB, Washington Nationals)

Serena Williams (WTA)

BIGGEST POWERHOUSE

This award honors those players that are an undeniable force on the field and on the court. Like a freight train or a Mack Truck, these athletes have so much power in their play that they cannot be stopped. They are the sluggers who hit the farthest homeruns, the tennis players with the fastest serves, the power forwards that slam dunk with such force they can shatter a backboard, the running backs that move with such power that it takes an entire team to stop them, and are the most unstoppable players in sports this year.

Claressa Shields (Professional Boxer)

David Ortiz (MLB, Boston Red Sox)

DeMarcus Cousins (NBA, New Orleans Pelicans)

Mike Trout (MLB, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim)

Von Miller (NFL, Denver Broncos)

CLUTCH PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Teammates rely on these athletes to make the plays when it counts the most. Their participation is clutch to the success of their teams, and the fans know it. The nominees in this category come from a variety of sports and alter the game just by being on the field.

Alex Morgan (NWSL, Olympique Lyonnais)

Katie Ledecky (Competitive Swimmer)

Mike Trout (MLB, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim)

Russell Westbrook (NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder)

Sergio Garcia (Professional Golfer)

Sidney Crosby (NHL, Pittsburgh Penguins)

Stephen Curry (NBA, Golden State Warriors)

Tom Brady (NFL, New England Patriots)

DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME

They flip, fly and soar their way into the highlight reels of the X Games and other action sports competitions on the regular, and kids can’t get enough. They’re the death-defying athletes of slopestyle, the BMX racers or the skateboarders and surfers who risk life and limb every day to accomplish the impossible.

Alise Post (Professional BMX Racer)

Connor Fields (Professional BMX Racer)

Hailey Langland (Professional Snowboarder)

Keala Kennelly (Professional Surfer)

Lizzie Armanto (Professional Skateboarder)

Mark McMorris (Professional Snowboarder)

Nyjah Huston (Professional Skateboarder)

FAVORITE NEWCOMER

The excitement surrounding a new sports prospect can be incredible, especially when that prospect starts to deliver on the anticipation of greatness. The nominees in this category represent the first or second year pros who have lived up to the hype--in other words, the newbie that is most likely to succeed.

Breanna Stewart (WNBA, Seattle Storm)

Corey Seager (MLB, Los Angeles Dodgers)

Dak Prescott (NFL, Dallas Cowboys)

Dario Šarić (NBA, Philadelphia 76ers)

Laurie Hernandez (Professional Artistic Gymnast)

Simone Manuel (Competitive Swimmer)

HANDS OF GOLD

Every season has its most-talked-about, spectacular or awe-inspiring catches and saves. The nominees in this category represent the MLB, NFL and NHL athletes who have made the most unbelievable, highlight reel-worthy catches and incredible saves of the year.

Adrián Beltré (MLB, Texas Rangers)

Antonio Brown (NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers)

Braden Holtby (NHL, Washington Capitals)

Ian Kinsler (MLB, Detroit Tigers)

Julian Edelman (NFL, New England Patriots)

Odell Beckham Jr. (NFL, New York Giants)

NEED FOR SPEED

This award honors those players that live life in the fast lane. Whether it’s running, driving, or swimming, these athletes bring the fast and furious to the race. They are the lightening quick speed demons that won’t stop until they’re in first, and the rest of the competition eats their dust.

Allyson Felix (Professional Track & Field Athlete)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (NASCAR)

Danica Patrick (NASCAR)

Jimmie Johnson (NASCAR)

Katie Ledecky (Competitive Swimmer)

Lewis Hamilton (Formula 1 Racing)

Usain Bolt (Professional Track & Field Athlete)

SICKEST MOVES

Professional athletes make it look so easy that sometimes fans forget the sheer agility required to play with the best of the best--until they see the nominees of this category do their thing. They’re the soccer players with the mind-blowing dribble, the hockey players who can do amazing things on skates, the football players who dazzle us with their fancy footwork, or the basketball players with the best ball handling skills.

Carli Lloyd (NWSL, Manchester City)

James Harden (NBA, Houston Rockets)

Kevin Durant (NBA, Golden State Warriors)

Kyrie Irving (NBA, Cleveland Cavaliers)

Le’Veon Bell (NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers)

Patrick Kane (NHL, Chicago Blackhawks)

Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Sports 2017 is produced by Done and Dusted in association with Nickelodeon Productions. Jay Schmalholz and Shelly Sumpter Gillyard are executive producers. Constance Schwartz and Michael Strahan of SMAC Entertainment will serve as executive producers, alongside Ian Stewart and Hamish Hamilton of Done and Dusted with Hamilton also serving as director of the show.

Nickelodeon, now in its 38^th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the number-one-rated kids’ basic cable network for 22 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).

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