Basketball dominated the conversation at the 2026 BET Awards, with A’ja Wilson and Jalen Brunson taking home the night's biggest sports trophies. Wilson walked away with the Sportswoman of the Year award, while Brunson locked down Sportsman of the Year after putting together two of the most memorable basketball seasons in recent memory.

Wilson earning the top spot on the women's side makes perfect sense when you look at the historic run she put together with the Las Vegas Aces. During her 2025 campaign, she did something no other player in WNBA or NBA history has ever done by sweeping regular-season MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP in a single year. That MVP award was the fourth of her career, breaking the all-time record after she locked down 51 of 72 first-place votes. She then answers by helping the Aces reel off a 16-game winning streak that ended with a clean sweep of the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA Finals.

Even in the current season, Wilson has not slowed down. She recently reminded everyone of that dominance against the Chicago Sky. After bouncing back from an ankle scare during the game, she finished the night with a stat line of 30 points, 15 rebounds, four steals, and three blocks, steering Las Vegas to a 107-99 win and a 14-5 record.

On the men’s side, Brunson took home the hardware after turning things around for the New York Knicks. He rallied the franchise to its first NBA championship in 53 years, capping off the season with a five-game series win over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.

In the decisive Game 5, the Knicks captain put the team on his back by scoring 45 points. That included a stretch where he scored 13 straight points in the fourth quarter, helping New York erase a double-digit deficit to win 94-90. Brunson earned NBA Finals MVP honors for the performance, celebrated with thousands of fans at a championship parade through Manhattan, and beat out a tough field of nominees to secure his BET Award.