She’s the best of both worlds! It turns out that growing up, Angel Reese wasn’t just practicing basketball. When she wasn’t hooping, she was in her mom’s closet, perfecting her runway walk. All her life, she’s been playing dress-up and running practice drills back-to-back. Who knew that same little girl would go on to help lead a whole revolution in women’s basketball – turning the W into the coolest show in town and pushing it into places we’d only dreamed of? And well, to honor that, the Chicago Sky star just bagged a prestigious (and now very familiar) award, beating out a veteran.

Known as the “Bayou Barbie,” Angel Reese shot to fame during her college career at LSU, where she led the Tigers to their first-ever NCAA women’s basketball championship in 2023. That iconic title run didn’t just change LSU’s history, it made Reese a household name, setting the perfect stage for her first BET Sportswoman of the Year win. Since then, she has only gotten bigger.

After being drafted by the Chicago Sky, (now) the Chi-Town Barbie hit the W like she owned it. In her rookie season, she averaged 13.6 points and 13.1 rebounds per game, shattered the WNBA single-season rebounding record, and became a frontrunner for Rookie of the Year. Her rebounding, aggressive playing style, and on-court presence instantly made her a fan favorite.

On top of that, her unapologetic confidence, savvy use of social media, and loud support for women’s sports have turned her into one of the league’s most marketable names, earning her a second BET for the second consecutive year. And now, she just made history.

Reese has officially won the BET Sportswoman of the Year award for the third consecutive time – an accomplishment only Serena Williams has ever matched. That’s some elite company for the 23-year-old, who’s just in her second professional season. The BET Awards, known for honoring excellence in entertainment and sports, recognized NFL quarterback Jalen Hurts on the men’s side.

As for Reese, she took the win over some pretty stacked competition including names like Simone Biles, A’ja Wilson, Flau’jae Johnson, JuJu Watkins, Sha’Carri Richardson, Coco Gauff, Claressa Shields, and Dawn Staley. As expected, the love poured in. The WNBA posted, “Congrats Angel Reese for winning Sportswoman of the Year for the third time 👏” while LSU couldn’t hold back their pride, posting a fiery animated graphs and penning, “The BET Sportswoman of the Year 🤩” on social media.

But obviously, with big wins come big debates. Some fans and even a few voices within the WNBA community were surprised that Reese edged out longtime veterans and bigger names in the league. But regardless of the noise, the fact remains: Reese is one of the most visible athletes in the sport. She’s shifting the culture, and this BET three-peat is just the latest proof. 

While the “more deserving” debate carries on, one of her former besties and fellow contenders weighed on their relationship as the award went to the double-double queen.

Flau’jae Johnson opens up about where things stand with Angel Reese

Once upon a time, Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson were the queens of LSU. After leading the Tigers to their first-ever national championship in 2023, the duo became two of the most recognizable faces and bestie duo in college hoops. But after Reese turned pro, it looked like that bond isn’t what it used to be. It was assumed that the tension didn’t start between the two stars themselves. It actually traces back to an old social media spat between their mothers. A fiery back-and-forth put both players in the middle of a very public family feud.

The rumors about their strained friendship were confirmed by Reese herself on her podcast in September 2024. “I still support Flau’jae. We aren’t as close as we used to be,” Reese said. “And there’s no hard feelings or anything, but we aren’t as close as we used to be.” Now, months later, Johnson has added her perspective- once again. During a recent appearance on The Breakfast Club while attending the 2025 BET Awards in Los Angeles – where she was also nominated for Sportswoman of the Year alongside Reese – Flau’jae got candid about where things stand.

“We’re not friends, but I mean that bond that we had, that thing that we did together, winning a national championship, you can never take that away from us,” Big 4 said. “Sometimes stuff happens – you wish it didn’t, but it do. And you just gotta grow.” When asked if outside influences played a part in their fallout, she didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, it was a lot of media, it was a lot of locker room stuff, you know what I’m saying? Stuff that go on behind the scenes. But it happens. It happens.”

Despite the distance, neither player has ever spoken ill of the other. In fact, they continue to express pride in each other’s success and defend each other when needed. It’s clear the mutual respect remains, even if the friendship has faded. However, for fans who watched them together, this might sting a bit. 

Now, going forward, when Johnson enters the draft, the two might just cross paths once again…this time on opposite sides. And when that day comes, you can bet it’ll be interesting.