Angel Reese Classily Addresses Winning BET Sportswoman Award After Claressa Shields Shade

Angel Reese is the subject of constant vitriol, and professional boxer Claressa Shields recently joined the slew of critics after losing the 2025 BET Sportswoman Of The Year award to the Chicago Sky’s star forward. Despite the drama, the 23-year-old hooper chose to take the high road and focus on doing her best on the court.

The Sky had just come off a blowout loss to the defending champion, New York Liberty, on Tuesday evening (June 10) when a reporter asked a visibly emotional Reese for her thoughts on receiving the award for the third year in a row during the postgame press conference, and the former LSU Tiger got vulnerable.

“It’s great,” she began. “Obviously, this is my third one. Obviously, it really meant something to other people today ’cause it’s me. And I focus on basketball. I come in to work every day and work. I don’t complain, I don’t care about anything else. I have bad days. I haven’t been playing well at all. And I could sit here and just mope around and point the finger, but it’s been me.”

Reese stated that she takes accountability for her flaws and strives to be better with the support of her teammates. She expressed her gratitude for being a member of the Chicago Sky and the fact that her teammates trust her, as it makes everything else unimportant. Reese also acknowledged her privilege in being able to play basketball professionally, given the fact that so many people vie for her position.

“People would die and kill to have this job,” she asserted. “Being able to play with the best players in the world means a lot to me. I put my all in this sh*t. I do.” Though she did not directly address Claressa Shields, it felt as though the combination of the bad loss, her underwhelming recent performances, and the constant jabs at her skill and success had gotten to her.

Reese’s teammate, Ariel Atkins, also spoke up on her behalf. “This is a 23-year-old kid and the amount of crap that she gets on day-to-day, and she still shows up,” Atkins said, via People. “Whatever questions y’all got about our team, basketball-wise we appreciate it, but all the other nonsense, it’s irrelevant. We’re here to play basketball and do what we do. We’re having a hard time right now at the end of the day.” The 28-year-old guard said Reese’s “crown is heavy” and she has had to “build a wall” to shield herself from the incessant negative commentary, especially as a Black woman who takes pride in how she looks.

On Tuesday afternoon, Claressa Shields took to X to question the criteria for BET’s Sportswoman Of The Year award. “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 *shrug emoji* I just thought accolades mattered.”

A fan reminded her that Reese did indeed have accolades, such as making the WNBA All-Star team last year, and Shields replied, “Yes she does but who has more accolades…. More success in their field. Please use google before responding.” She later called herself “Team Angel Reese” but doubled down on her mindset that the award should go to the person with the “most” accolades. She ultimately chalked her feelings up to “being a competitor” when fans continued to address her tweets.