Angel Reese amazed by moving tribute to superstar artist at BET Awards (Credit: Angel Reese, Usher/Instagram)

Despite the grueling schedule of the WNBA season, Angel Reese found a way to catch Sunday’s BET Awards held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. It is an awards show that aims to celebrate the success of black entertainers and personalities in music, sports, film, and philanthropy.

In a post on X, Reese expressed her amazement at the event’s moving tribute for Usher—who received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to music. The 45-year-old singer also won the Best Male R&B Artist award.

The tribute for him made headlines as it featured some of his biggest hits, including “U Don’t Have to Call,” “There Goes My Baby,” “Good Good,” and “Nice & Slow.”

These songs were performed by none other than Jennifer Hudson, Summer Walker, Tinashe, Teyana Taylor, Chloe, Keke Palmer, Victoria Monet, and Childish Gambino.

The R&B icon had a memorable speech upon accepting his award, in which he expressed his love of music and the industry as a whole.

“Getting here has definitely not been easy, but it has been worth it,” Usher said. “This Life(time) Achievement Award, I don’t know man, is it too early for me to receive it? Because I’m still running and gunning, and I still love this (work) like I did when I was 8 years old.”

Angel Reese wins Sportswoman of the Year in BET Awards

Angel Reese was one of the personalities recognized in the BET awards, where she won Sportswoman of the Year—beating out WNBA’s A’ja Wilson, tennis stars Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff, sprint queen Sha’Carri Richardson, and olympic gymnast Simone Biles. The award is intended for female athletes who have had great success in their field in the past year.

Reese then went to social media to thank the BET Awards for the recognition.

“Thank you @BET for Sportswoman of the Year! 🙏🏽🥺” said Reese on a post on X.

Reese was drafted eighth overall by the Chicago Sky in the 2024 WNBA draft. She currently averages 13.5 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, becoming one of the leaders in the Rookie of the Year race.

She averaged 18.6 points and 13.4 rebounds in her last year with LSU where she made a name for herself in the collegiate ranks. More recently, she set a WNBA record for having the most consecutive double-doubles by a rookie.

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Edited by Bianca J.