In 2025, among a crowded field of Dawn Staley, Simone Biles, A’ja Wilson, and Coco Gauff, it was the 23-year-old Angel Reese who took home the BET Sportswoman of the Year. Her cultural impact, along with her on-court dominance, where she finished second in the Rookie of the Year race, combined to make Reese a deserving winner. Come 2026, while she continues to shatter records, the reigning league and finals MVP, A’ja Wilson, has eclipsed her work.

A’ja Wilson was awarded the BET Sports Woman of the Year for her achievements in 2025. And while Angel Reese had a year to remember, Wilson arguably had the best year any sportswoman has ever had.

Last year, as the Las Vegas Aces had a wobbly start to the season, having lost half of the first 28 games, many counted them out. But Wilson wouldn’t have it. She almost single-handedly proved everyone wrong as she went on a tear.

On the court, she continued to be a beast, averaging 23.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Wilson led the Las Vegas Aces from down in the dumps at the start of the season to a 16-game winning streak and won the regular-season MVP and DPOY awards on her way to the world championship ring and the finals MVP honor.

It saw her win her 3rd WNBA title in 4 years and become a prominent name in the GOAT conversation.

“When you’ve collected everything, that’s Thanos,” she has said, referring to her wearing the infinity gauntlet during the championship parade. “And this year, I collected everything. I don’t really talk much sh–. I kind of let my game do it. This was my biggest moment of doing it, because no one’s ever done what I’ve done. And I think people really needed to understand that.”

She became the only player in WNBA or NBA history to win the season MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP in the same season. Her fourth career MVP broke her own all-time record and came by a landslide with 51 of 72 first-place votes. 2025 saw Wilson rise as a cultural phenomenon beyond what she had been. 

Wilson was named both AP and Time Magazine’s Female Athlete of the Year. She released her first signature shoe — the Nike A’Ones. The legacy shift for Wilson was huge as well. She had her “So Win” advertisement during the Super Bowl that reached millions of fans throughout the country. She appeared at the Paris Fashion Week while linking up with Beyoncé at the Las Vegas GP.

Her legacy was cemented, and she now caps it off with the BET Sports Woman of the Year. A’ja Wilson’s extraordinary rise in 2025 also played an important part in the revolutionary CBA agreed after the season. She was one of the most outspoken players they all stood their ground. It ultimately paid off as Wilson and Co. earned the biggest pay raise in league history.

As expected from Wilson, she’s continuing to improve her stats. This year, she is already keeping the goal of winning it all once again by averaging 25.7 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. But while she is helping the Aces with their second run of two consecutive rings, Angel Reese is keeping her new team competitive. However, she was just as competitive as she is this year.

Angel Reese averaged 14.7 points and a league-best 12.6 rebounds per game in 2025 (the second straight year she averaged a double-double). She became the first athlete to walk on the Victoria’s Secret runway while launching her first signature shoe with Reebok, which sold out in no time. She became the fastest player in league history to reach 500 points and 500 rebounds, beating Hall of Famer Tina Charles.

This year, she’s only building up. Surrounded by a winning team and veteran experience, Reese has helped improve the Atlanta Dream’s defense on the board. She is averaging 14.8 points and a league-high 11.6 rebounds. If she could help her new team win it all this year, who knows, she would be celebrating with the BET Sports Woman of the Year Award next year.