Indiana Fever v Chicago Sky - Source: Getty — Angel Reese keeps making the most of her platform

Michael Jordan’s ex-teammate Etan Thomas sends message to Angel Reese after major BET honor

Modified Jun 12, 2025 07:32 GMT

Angel Reese was named the 2025 BET Sportswoman of the Year, continuing her rise to the top of women's sporting circles. Reese became the second woman to win the award three times, joining the legendary Serena Williams.

It also marked her third consecutive victory, beating Simone Biles, Dawn Staley, A'Ja Wilson, JuJu Watkins and Coco Gauff, among others.

Former NBA player-turned-writer Etan Thomas shared some positive wishes for her on X.

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"Congratulations to Angel Reese for winning Sportswoman of the Year at the #BETAwards," wrote Thomas.

Despite her team's shortcomings in her first season in the WNBA, Reese's numbers helped her establish multiple marks, including the most rebounds in a single season (446). Reese has picked up from where she left off last season, averaging 9.1 points and 12.3 rebounds per game for the struggling Chicago Sky.

Thomas, meanwhile, was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round in 2000, but did not play a single game for the team and was traded to the Washington Wizards in 2001. He shared the dressing room with Michael Jordan for two seasons (2001-03).

Candace Parker says you can't compare Caitlin Clark to Angel Reese

Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark have established a competitive rivalry in the WNBA.

Clark has outperformed Reese in the WNBA, but Reese got the better of the former Hawkeye in college. Even so, WNBA legend Candace Parker believes there's no point in trying to compare both of them, as they don't even play the same position or possess the same style of play.

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"It’s like comparing apples and oranges … What are we doing? They like doing the Magic and Bird comparisons … I'm not falling into that… I think there are a number of things that Angel Reese can improve on. The thing about Caitlin, yes, she can shoot from the logo, but she makes her team better," Parker said in an appearance on the 'Spolitics' podcast.

At the end of the day, this rivalry will do wonders for the league, and people will continue to tune in to see who gets the last laugh.

About the author

Ernesto Cova is a journalist at Sportskeeda with a PhD in Sports Psychology. His education helped him develop a clearer understanding of the sports world as a whole, including basketball. Ernesto has over eight years of experience in the field, working for Fadeaway World, The Inquisitr, NBA Blast, The Cold Wire and Bolavip, among others.

His favorite team is the Chicago Bulls because of the Michael Jordan era. Jordan is Ernesto's all-time favorite, as he changed the game forever. Ernesto's second favorite was Kobe Bryant because he embodied that same competitive fire and Ernesto watched him play throughout his entire career. Nowadays, Ernesto really likes Stephen Curry, who he believes to be the most influential player of the past 15 years or so.

Ernesto's favorite basketball moment was when Venezuela -- his country -- took down Canada to take home the 2015 FIBA Americas Cup.

When not watching or writing about basketball, Ernesto likes to read and is interested in photography.

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