July 16, 2025, Simone Biles goes up against Stephen Curry. One is an 11-time Olympic medalist, the other is a 4-time NBA champion. But this time, it isn’t about their medals. It’s about their popularity. And the number of people who pick up their phones and cast their votes for them. Interestingly, having deleted her Twitter account just days back, Biles now has one platform and 2M followers less than usual. Plus, she has just stepped out of a mega controversy. So will her winning chances nosedive after this? Here’s all you would want to know…

Remember the women’s all-around gymnastics final at the 2024 Paris Olympics? That is when Simone Biles and the team were battling it out on the mat while Stephen Curry and Team USA’s men’s basketball team were seated meters away in the Bercy Arena stands to cheer them. And Curry? Oh, he was a Biles fan that day. When Biles showed off her GOAT pendant, Curry simply screamed. And when he heard “The Star-Spangled Banner” play in Biles’ honor, Curry once again roared “America!” at the end. But soon, it’s the same Biles that he will be pitted against for a special feat.

On June 26, Simone Biles added an Instagram story, reposting a Team USA infographic detailing the athletes selected for the 2025 ESPY Best Championship Performance of the Year. And the four nominees were: Steph Curry, Simone Biles, Freddie Freeman, and Rory McIlroy. To this, Simone Biles reacted with, “& the only woman nominated for this award, representing for all the gallssss okaaayyyyy GRATEFUL & BLESSED.” She even wrote a little, “kisses pookies 💋👀🤭” at the end. After all, she is the only woman athlete nominated in this award category!

Last year, Simone Biles won the ESPY Best Comeback Athlete of the Year award. And ever since, she has really put on a great show. Biles’ 2024 performance featured her winning 4 Olympic medals in Paris, including the all-around gold that made her the first gymnast to win two non-consecutive titles and the first woman to own two Olympic all-around gold medals since 1968. She also became the U.S. all-around, vault, uneven bars, balance beam & floor exercise champion. In fact she was so good in Paris that Steph Curry had himself called her an inspiration.

Yes, after watching Simone Biles & Co’s gold-winning performance, Steph Curry said, “It gets me inspired. Now we know what we have to do to get our gold.” He’s also particularly mentioned that Biles’ form was great throughout the evening. “To see that athleticism, the clutchness of Simone and Suni in that moment, knowing what they had to do and going out and doing it was absolutely incredible…” After all, Simone had to prove that this was her redemption tour. No wonder, this year, she’s nominated in two categories….yes, and the other one’s against another basketball luminary too!

Simone Biles to also face A’ja Wilson

Yes, the first category that Simone Biles was nominated in was the one against Steph Curry and others. But that’s not where it ends for her. We keep saying that Simone Biles has defied odds in the sport. She has shown such masterful performances despite the pressure on her. Plus, she has made space for the ‘mental health talk’ for women in the sport.

No wonder Simone Biles has also been nominated for the Best Athlete in Women’s Sports alongside Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, A’ja Wilson, and Gabby Thomas. This way, she is set to compete against A’ja Wilson too! So, the question remains: Can Biles beat the basketball queen A’ja Wilson in the popularity game? With fan voting now open and the ceremony set for July 16, it’s game on.