<P> The Best Male Athlete ESPY Award, known alternatively as the Outstanding Male Athlete ESPY Award, has been presented annually at the ESPY Awards since 1993 to the male voted irrespective of nationality or sport contested, adjudged to be the best athlete in a given calendar year . Between 1993 and 2004, the award voting panel comprised variously fans; sportswriters and broadcasters, sports executives, and retired sportspersons, termed collectively experts; and ESPN personalities, but balloting thereafter has been exclusively by fans over the Internet from amongst choices selected by the ESPN Select Nominating Committee . Through the 2001 iteration of the ESPY Awards, ceremonies were conducted in February of each year to honor achievements over the previous calendar year; awards presented thereafter are conferred in June and reflect performance from the June previous . </P> <P> Three American athletes, golfer Tiger Woods, road cyclist Lance Armstrong, and basketball player LeBron James, have won the award multiple times . Woods was honored five times: in 1998 (jointly with Ken Griffey Jr .), 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2008 . Armstrong was honored four times from 2003 to 2006 inclusive while James received the trophy in 2012, 2013 and 2016 . Basketball is the most successful sport, its players having received a total of eight awards since its inception . The award has been won by a non-American once--in 2011 by German basketball player Dirk Nowitzki . The 2017 winner of the Best Male Athlete ESPY Award was basketball player Russell Westbrook who received his trophy at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles . </P> <Table> Winners of the Best Male Athlete ESPY Award <Tr> <Th> Year </Th> <Th> Image </Th> <Th> Athlete </Th> <Th> Nation represented </Th> <Th> Sport </Th> <Th> Ref </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1993 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> Michael Jordan </Th> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Basketball </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1994 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> Barry Bonds </Th> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Baseball </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1995 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> Steve Young </Th> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> American football </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> Cal Ripken Jr . </Th> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Baseball </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1997 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> Michael Johnson </Th> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Track and field </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1998 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> Tiger Woods </Th> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Golf </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Th> Ken Griffey Jr . </Th> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Baseball </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1999 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> Mark McGwire </Th> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Baseball </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2000 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> Tiger Woods </Th> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Golf </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2001 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> Tiger Woods </Th> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Golf </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2002 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> Tiger Woods </Th> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Golf </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2003 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> Lance Armstrong </Th> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Road cycling </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> Lance Armstrong </Th> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Road cycling </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2005 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> Lance Armstrong </Th> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Road cycling </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2006 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> Lance Armstrong </Th> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Road cycling </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2007 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> LaDainian Tomlinson </Th> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> American football </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2008 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> Tiger Woods </Th> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Golf </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2009 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> Michael Phelps </Th> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Swimming </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> Drew Brees </Th> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> American football </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2011 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> Dirk Nowitzki </Th> <Td> Germany </Td> <Td> Basketball </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2012 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> LeBron James </Th> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Basketball </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2013 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> LeBron James </Th> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Basketball </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2014 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> Kevin Durant </Th> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Basketball </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2015 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> Stephen Curry </Th> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Basketball </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2016 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> LeBron James </Th> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Basketball </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2017 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> Russell Westbrook </Th> <Td> United States </Td> <Td> Basketball </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2018 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Th> Alexander Ovechkin </Th> <Td> Russia </Td> <Td> Hockey </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th> Year </Th> <Th> Image </Th> <Th> Athlete </Th> <Th> Nation represented </Th> <Th> Sport </Th> <Th> Ref </Th> </Tr>

Who won the espy for best male athlete