Dawn Staley, Flau'jae Johnson, JuJu Watkins earn nods for BET "Sportswoman of the Year" award

Dawn Staley, Flau'jae Johnson and JuJu Watkins will battle it out for the 2025 BET "Sportswoman of the Year" award. The award ceremony will be held on June 9.

The three leading figures in NCAA women's basketball earned nods for the prestigious honor from Black Entertainment Television, which posted the nominations on Instagram on Thursday.

Dawn Staley received the nomination after leading the South Carolina Gamecocks to another successful campaign in the 2024-25 season. The Gamecocks may have fallen short in their bid to win back-to-back NCAA titles after their loss to the UConn Huskies in the national championship game, but they still grabbed a share of the SEC regular-season title and captured the 2025 SEC Tournament.

USC guard JuJu Watkins had a stellar sophomore season, as she won the Naismith College Player of the Year and the Big Ten Player of the Year awards. Watkins' campaign ended on a sour note, though, suffering an ACL injury during the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Meanwhile, Flau'jae Johnson led the LSU Tigers to an Elite Eight appearance in this year's March Madness. She posted impressive numbers in her junior year, averaging 18.6 points on 46.8% field-goal shooting. Johnson also averaged 5.6 boards, 2.5 dimes and 1.7 steals through 34 games.

Who are the other nominees aside from Dawn Staley, Flau'jae Johnson and JuJu Watkins?

Dawn Staley, Flau'jae Johnson and JuJu Watkins aren't the only ones in the running for the BET Sportswoman of the Year award. There are six other nominees, including former LSU star Angel Reese, who has won the award in each of the last two years.

LSU Tigers guard Flau'jae Johnson (#4) and forward Angel Reese (#10) answer questions during the press conference to their NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game at MVP Arena. Photo: Imagn

Reese earned a nod again after a stellar rookie season with the Chicago Sky in the WNBA. She averaged 13.6 points and 13.1 boards through 34 games in the 2024 season. She also led the team in steals, averaging 1.3 per contest. Reigning MVP A'ja Wilson is the other WNBA player nominated.

A couple of Olympians in Simone Biles and Sha'Carri Richardson were also selected. Biles made a triumphant return at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The talented gymnast won four medals in that tournament last year, including three golds.

Meanwhile, Sha'Carri Richardson won the silver medal in the 100-meter dash at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She was also part of the United States team that won gold in the 4 x 100-meter relay.

Rounding out the list of nominees are boxer Clareesa Shields and tennis star Coco Gauff.