Tiger Woods Could Claim Six ESPYs

L A S   V E G A S, Feb. 12 -- Samuel L. Jackson hosts the ninth annual ESPY Awards tonight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, where Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong and Marion Jones will contend for top awards in their fields.

Jackson, who was emcee of the ESPN award show in 1999, is returning as host tonight. The ESPYs — short for "Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly" — presents awards to both professional and collegiate athletes in 34 categories. (ESPN, like ABCNEWS.com, is owned by Disney.)

Woods leads the pack with six nominations this year, including top male athlete, men's golfer and Most Memorable Moment of the Year. Also nominated for awards tonight are Armstrong, Venus Williams, Derek Jeter, Sheryl Swoopes, the New York Yankees, Andres Gallaraga and Mia Hamm, among others.

Freeman, Nicklaus to Be Honored

Australian trackster Cathy Freeman, who became the first aborigine to win Olympic gold when she won the women's 400 meters at the Sydney Olympics, has already been named the recipient of the ESPY Awards' Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award.

Also spending time in the spotlight will be golfer Jack Nicklaus, the recipient of the ESPY Lifetime Achievement Award. The "Golden Bear" won 71 Tour victories, including 18 Grand Slam winss, in slightly more than two decades.

ESPN.com reports that this year's voting body include select print and broadcast journalists as well as more than 100 Hall of Fame athletes and coaches from the various sports disciplines honored by the ESPYs.

The awards show, which will be broadcast live on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET, also features an all-star lineup of presenters, including actors Don Cheadle, Chris O'Donnell, James Woods and Martin Sheen and actress Lara Flynn Boyle.