Seattle Seahawks Quarterback Russell Wilson to Return as Host of Nickelodeon's KIDS' SPORTS CHOICE, 7/17

Nickelodeon today announced that Seattle Seahawks' two-time SUPER BOWL quarterback Russell Wilson clinched his second straight title as host of Kids' Choice Sports 2016, the only show that celebrates kids and families' love of sports and top professional athletes. Also announced today is this year's roster of superstar athlete nominees, leading up to the start of online voting on Nick.com and the Nick App on Monday, May 23. Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Sports 2016 will be taped live from UCLA's Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles on Thursday, July 14, and premiere on Sunday, July 17, at 8-9:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

After scoring three orange mohawked blimp awards at Kids' Choice Sports 2015, Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry dominates the pack this year with three nominations defending his titles for "Best Male Athlete," "Clutch Player of the Year," and "Sickest Moves." Trailing closely are Cam Newton, Rob Gronkowski, Cristiano Ronaldo, Serena Williams, Elena Delle Donne, Odell Beckham Jr., Bryce Harper, Russell Westbrook, Antonio Brown and Von Miller, with two nods each. Additional MVPs, All-Stars and sports icons competing for trophies are LeBRon James, Ronda Rousey, Alex Morgan, Holly Holm, Usain Bolt, James Harden, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Lydia Ko, Novak Djokovic, Peyton Manning, Kevin Durant, Carli Lloyd, Kyrie Irving, Lionel Messi, Skylar Diggins, Jimmie Johnson, J.J. Watt, Katie Ledecky, and many more.

Nick.com/sports will serve as the official destination for Kids' Choice Sports 2016. Beginning Monday, May 23, kids will be able to cast their votes for their favorite athletes and all-star moments from the past year, play a brand new Kids' Choice game, watch sports-themed short-form videos and check out photo galleries of athletic all-stars online and on the Nick App.

Click here for Russell Wilson's bio: http://www.russellwilson3.com.

Kids' Choice Sports 2016 sponsors are Always, FCA US LLC, Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, Nationwide and Popsicle.

The categories and nominees for Kids' Choice Sports 2016 are:

BEST MALE ATHLETE
They are, simply put, the best athletes in the world. 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.

Bryce Harper (MLB, Washington Nationals)
Cam Newton (NFL, Carolina Panthers)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Soccer, Real Madrid C.F.)
Kyle Busch (NASCAR)
LeBRon James (NBA, Cleveland Cavaliers)
Stephen Curry (NBA, Golden State Warriors)

BEST FEMALE ATHLETE
Alex Morgan (NWSL, Orlando Pride)
Elena Delle Donne (WNBA, Chicago Sky)
Jamie Anderson (Professional Snowboarder)
Katie Ledecky (Competitive Swimmer)
Lydia Ko (Professional Golfer)
Serena Williams (WTA)

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 hypein other words, the newbie that is most likely to succeed.

Jewell Loyd (WNBA, Seattle Storm)
Karl-Anthony Towns (NBA, Minnesota Timberwolves)
Kristaps Porzingis (NBA, New York Knicks)
Simone Biles (Professional Artistic Gymnast)
Taylor Fritz (WTA)
Todd Gurley (NFL, Los Angeles Rams)

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.

Andrelton Simmons (MLB, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim)
Antonio Brown (NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers)
Corey Crawford (NHL, Chicago Blackhawks)
Odell Beckham Jr. (NFL, New York Giants)
Rob Gronkowski (NFL, New England Patriots)
Salvador Perez (MLB, Kansas City Royals)

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.

Carli Lloyd (NWSL, Houston Dash)
James Harden (NBA, Houston Rockets)
Kevin Durant (NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder)
Patrick Kane (NHL, Chicago Blackhawks)
Peyton Manning (NFL, Denver Broncos)
Stephen Curry (NBA, Golden State Warriors)

SICKEST MOVES
Professional athletes make it look so easy that sometimes fans forget the sheer agility required to play with the best of the bestuntil 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 or the football players who dazzle us with their fancy footwork.

Alexander Ovechkin (NHL, Washington Capitals)
Kyrie Irving (NBA, Cleveland Cavaliers)
Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona and the Argentina Men's National Team)
Odell Beckham Jr. (NFL, New York Giants)
Russell Westbrook (NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder)
Stephen Curry (NBA, Golden State Warriors)

DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME AWARD
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 who risk life and limb every day to accomplish the impossible.

Alise Post (Professional BMX Racer)
Ashley Caldwell (Professional Aerial Skier)
Danny Davis (Professional Snowboarder)
Nyjah Huston (Professional Skateboarder)
Ronda Rousey (UFC, MMA Fighter)
Satoko Miyahara (Professional Figure Skater)

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.

Andre Iguodala (NBA, Golden State Warriors)
Antonio Brown (NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers)
Cam Newton (NFL, Carolina Panthers)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Soccer, Real Madrid C.F.)
Russell Westbrook (NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder)
Von Miller (NFL, Denver Broncos)

QUEEN OF SWAG
Caroline Wozniacki (WTA)
Elena Delle Donne (WNBA, Chicago Sky)
Leticia Bufoni (Professional Skateboarder)
Misty Copeland (Professional Ballet Dancer)
Skylar Diggins (WNBA, Dallas Wings)
Swintayla "Swin" Cash (WNBA, New York Liberty)

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)
Bryce Harper (MLB, Washington Nationals)
Novak Djokovic (ATP)
Russell Wilson (NFL, Seattle Seahawks)
Serena Williams (WTA)
Tom Brady (NFL, New England Patriots)

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, and the running backs that move with such power that it takes an entire team to stop them.

Draymond Green (NBA, Golden State Warriors)
Holly Holm (UFC, MMA Fighter)
J.J. Watt (NFL, Houston Texans)
Prince Fielder (MLB, Texas Rangers)
Rob Gronkowski (NFL, New England Patriots)
Von Miller (NFL, Denver Broncos)

NEED FOR SPEED
This award honors those players that live life in the fast lane. Whether it's running, driving, skiing or boarding, 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.

Usain Bolt (Professional TRACK AND FIELD Athlete)
Candace Hill (Professional TRACK AND FIELD Athlete)
Billy Hamilton (MLB, Cincinnati Reds)
Jimmie Johnson (NASCAR)
Ted Ligety (Alpine Ski Racer)
Chloe Kim (Professional Snowboarder)

Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Sports 2016 is produced by Done + 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 + Dusted with Hamilton also serving as director of the show.

About Nickelodeon:

Nickelodeon, now in its 37th 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, online, 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 basic cable network for 20 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)((NASDAQ:VIAB).

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