June 11, 2025
Claressa Shields is not pleased with her loss to Angel Reese for BET ‘Sportswoman of the Year’ award and she is being vocal about her displeasure.
Olympic Gold medalist Claressa Shields is confused about why she did not win the Sportswoman of the Year award at the 2025 BET Awards.
On June 9, the 25th BET Awards ceremony aired. Only a day later, Shields posted her query on X. The 2025 Sportswoman of the Year nominees were some of the most successful Black women in sports. However, Shields called out a singular nominee, the award winner, Chicago Sky player Angel Reese. The undisputed heavyweight boxer has an impressive 16-0 record and questioned if winning matters.
“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 mattered,” Shields wrote.
Shields followed up her post with further explanation. According to Shields, she was “under the impression the category was graded on accolades of your sport.” While professing to be a fan of Reese, she firmly stood behind her previous post.
“Ain’t nobody saying Angel Reese don’t have accolades or she not good…. I’m saying I thought the person with “THE MOST” accolades & accomplishments would win the Award. I’m team Angel Reese!” she exclaimed.
Still, even by the metrics Shields outlined, she would not be the clear winner. Shields’ competition included the best Black women in sports today: legendary WNBA Player, Olympian, and college coach Dawn Staley; WNBA Champion and multiple time MVP winner A’ja Wilson; Olympic Gold medalist Sha’Carri Richardson; the Greatest Gymnast of All Time, Simone Biles; 2025 French Open Champion, Coco Gauff; and college basketball standouts Flau’Jae Johnson and Juju Watkins.
Social Media Backlash
Unfortunately, X users are not pleased with Shields’s competitive nature. Some people recognized the talent in the stacked category and made a point to draw attention to the accolades of the dynamic list.
One X user listed Angel Reese’s accomplishments with a scathing critique of Shields. The commenter emphasized that the award only takes into account the previous year’s milestones.
“You’re sleeping with a married man. You were never going to win that award. It’s not an overall award. Obviously, you didn’t read the criteria. It’s based off the previous year.”
Another user pointed to the boxer’s public relationship with married rapper Papoose. The commenter cited a lack of business acumen and an abundance of social media scandals as the reason Shields did not prevail.
“You’ve been crashing out behind a married man for months. So much so that you didn’t even promote your own movie. While Angel has been building a brand while focusing on her sport.” @MayRainAway wrote.
The prevailing sentiment among many is that the callout to BET and Reese is unsportsmanlike behavior. Shields has accomplished a great deal in her career. Additionally, she continues to display excellence in her craft. Yet, her actions suggest that maturity is a skill she is still developing. Shields will defend her heavyweight title on July 26 against Lani Daniels at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
RELATED CONTENT: Claressa Shields Earns A BET Nomination For ‘Sportswoman Of The Year’
