Below are the nominees and winners for the BET Award for Best Female Athlete & Male Athlete. Serena Williams holds the record for most wins in the Female Athlete category with 5 wins, she also holds the record for the most nominations, being nominated every year since the awards inception. LeBron James holds the records with 4 wins for Male Athlete. Kobe Bryant comes in second place with 3 awards. The best male has always been a basketball player until Michael Vick won it in 2011.
| Year | Winner | Nominees |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Serena Williams | Candace Parker Venus Williams Lisa Leslie Tamika Catchings |
| 2008 | Candace Parker | Cheryl Ford Serena Williams Venus Williams Tamika Catchings |
| 2007 | Serena Williams | Swin Cash Tamika Catchings Lisa Leslie Gail Devers |
| 2006 | Venus Williams | Serena Williams Lisa Leslie Sheryl Swoopes Chamique Holdsclaw |
| 2005 | Serena Williams | Gail Devers Lisa Leslie Venus Williams Laila Ali |
| 2004 | Serena Williams | Cheryl Ford Lisa Leslie Laila Ali Venus Williams |
| 2003 | Serena Williams | Sheryl Swoopes Lisa Leslie Laila Ali Venus Williams |
| 2002 | Laila Ali | Lisa Leslie Vonetta Flowers Venus Williams Serena Williams |
| 2001 | Marion Jones | Venus Williams Serena Williams Sheryl Swoopes |
| 2009 | LeBron James | Reggie Bush Dwyane Wade Tiger Woods Kobe Bryant |
| 2008 | Kobe Bryant | Chris Paul LeBron James Tiger Woods Floyd Mayweather Jr. |
| 2007 | LeBron James | Reggie Bush Floyd Mayweather Jr. Dwyane Wade Tiger Woods |
| 2006 | LeBron James | Vince Young Kobe Byrant Tiger Woods Shaquille O'Neal |
| 2005 | Shaquille O'Neal | Tiger Woods LeBron James Donovan McNabb Allen Iverson |
| 2004 | LeBron James | Barry Bonds Carmelo Anthony Tiger Woods Shaquille O'Neal |
| 2003 | Kobe Bryant | Tiger Woods Barry Bonds Allen Iverson Tracy McGrady |
| 2002 | Kobe Bryant | Tiger Woods Derek Jeter Allen Iverson Michael Jordan |
| 2001 | Allen Iverson | Tiger Woods Kobe Bryant Shaquille O'Neal |
Some of the nominations have brought up some controversy. Reggie Bush was nominated for the award twice, in 2007 and 2009, despite putting up average numbers for a player at his position in both those seasons. In both years, he was nominated among athletes who were considered the best of the best in their sports, which upset some sports fans, as Bush has not accomplished enough to be in the same list as them.