The 2025 BET Awards were held on June 9. Kevin Hart hosted the show that celebrates “achievements in entertainment and honors music, sports, television, and movies.”
The BET added the Sportswoman of the Year Award in 2001, with Serena Williams being the inaugural winner. Sky star Chicago Reese won the award in 2023 and 2024 and was nominated again in 2025.
The nominees alongside Reese were boxer Claressa Shields, South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley, Aces star A’ja Wilson, sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, gymnast Simone Biles, LSU guard and rapper Flau’jae Johnson, French Open winner Coco Gauff and USC basketball player JuJu Watkins.
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Reese three-peated and won the 2025 BET Sportswoman of the Year Award, but not without criticism. Here is more on why Shields is upset at Reese.
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Why is Claressa Shields upset at Angel Reese?
Shields isn’t happy that she didn’t win the award. She posted to X congratulating Reese, but it was a little backhanded.
Still don’t know how I didn’t win the Sportswoman of the Year for the @BETAwards but Congrats to Angel Reese and all the other Nominees 🤷🏽♀️ I just thought accolades…
