Angel Reese Debuts As Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model, ‘I Embrace My Body’

Angel Reese continues to ride high after winning a national title last month. In addition to all of the NIL deals coming her way, the NCAA women’s basketball champion is set to make her Sports Illustrated swimsuit debut.

The swimsuit edition is set to release later this month, and Reese will be featured, the outlet reports. They shared an image from Reese’s photoshoot with photographer Yu Tsai in Los Angeles, where she sported a purple bikini and flashed her famous ring celebration pose that sparked backlash during the NCAA tournament.

“Angel Reese is a phenomenal basketball player,” SI Swimsuit Editor-in-Chief MJ Day said. “She’s an All- American and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament.”

Speaking with the famed magazine, Reese cleared up any speculation surrounding her relationship with Caitlin Clark, the Iowa state player she taunted with a “you can’t see me” hand gesture during the final moments of the title game.

“Caitlin and I are cool,” Reese said. “It’s just being able to force people to accept that women can talk trash.”

“The women’s side gets penalized for it, or we’re considered as not being ladylike and that we’re not playing by the rules,” she added. “We work just as hard as the men. Women can be who we are. Women can be competitive.”

LSU's Angel Reese has signed an NIL deal to join this year's SI Swimsuit edition. Reese and Livvy Dunne are the only two college athletes to ever be featured in the swimsuit issue.

She has a $1.4 million On3 NIL Valuation.

Story from @Pete_Nakos96: https://t.co/Z2iemLcCSM pic.twitter.com/VGl9tt1zTN

— On3 NIL (@On3NIL) May 8, 2023

Reese has become a vocal advocate for fierce female athletes in the wake of winning the national title. It’s among the achievements that garnered her photo shoot with Sports Illustrated.

“Her intensity, drive, and passion around being unapologetically herself and speaking up for what she believes in is helping move the needle forward for women in sports and is liberating the next generation to feel seen and heard,” Day said.

“Our goal here is to help empower as many women as we can, and we’re beyond excited to do that alongside Angel Reese in the 2023 issue.”

The Sports Illustrated feature comes one week after Reese announced her NIL deal with Mercedes-Benz ahead of celebrating her 21st birthday over the weekend. The college athlete has become the new “it girl” in sports and appears comfortable in the limelight.