ESPN’s Award-Winning “My Wish” series celebrates 20th anniversary of granting sports wishes on ‘SportsCenter’ beginning July 19
Wish Granting
July 14, 2026
Since its inception in 2006, ESPN’s “My Wish” series has worked with Make-A-Wish to fulfill almost 100 sports-themed wishes for children with critical illnesses. The award-winning series returns for its 20th anniversary on Sunday, July 19, featuring WNBA, PGA TOUR, WWE, MLB and college football stars.
This year’s series of five wishes will spotlight Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson, PGA TOUR winner Scottie Scheffler, WWE Superstar Seth Rollins, San Diego Padres slugger Fernando Tatis Jr. and the Tennessee Volunteers football team as they pair up with wish kids from around the country to make their dreams come true.
Working together with Make-A-Wish, ESPN produces feature segments of each wish to air on SportsCenter with the first wish debuting in the 8 a.m. ET hour on July 19. A new feature will debut in the 7 a.m. edition of SportsCenter on Monday through Thursday, July 20-23, with a “Best of ‘My Wish’” recap airing on July 25 to wrap up the series. Features will also air on ESPN’s main YouTube channel, with additional content shared across ESPN’s social media platforms.
“Now more than ever, the courage of these children and the love and resourcefulness of their families remain inspiring,” said Chris Connelly, who has hosted ESPN’s “My Wish” since its debut. “Thanks to ESPN and our friends at Make-A-Wish, this year’s wishes go a long way to restore so much of the joy and exuberance that critical illness takes away.”
This season’s wishes are:
- Sunday, July 19, 8 a.m. ET – Four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces met Khloe, a basketball-loving Louisiana teen who underwent a liver and kidney transplant. Alongside Wilson, Khloe got to experience what it’s like to be a professional basketball player.
- Monday, July 20, 7 a.m. ET – 20-time PGA TOUR winner and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler spent time with Caleb a 12-year-old from Virginia who took up golf after several childhood open heart surgeries made playing team sports difficult.
- Tuesday, July 21, 7 a.m. ET – WWE superstar Seth Rollins met his match in “Ledger the Great,” a Mississippi native diagnosed with leukemia at just three years old. Rollins surprised Ledger with a WWE-inspired wish day.
- Wednesday, July 22, 7 a.m. ET – Victoria, a baseball fan from New Mexico born with a neurological condition and having faced significant medical challenges and numerous operations throughout her life, including a kidney transplant, spent a memorable day with her favorite player Fernando Tatis, Jr. and the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
- Thursday, July 23, 7 a.m. ET – Amid undergoing a life-saving kidney transplant, Tennessee teen Bailey found joy watching Tennessee Volunteers games. For her wish, Bailey got a full game day experience with the Vols and head coach Josh Heupel.
To mark the milestone anniversary, SportsCenter is debuting a new animation package for the series, and ESPN.com will launch an updated landing page serving as a hub for all “My Wish” content and updates throughout the week. Returning for its 20th season as the series’ featured song is “My Wish,” the original track by Rascal Flatts.
Watch this season’s trailer here.