Angel Reese makes Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition debut joining Olivia Dunne as fans call LSU star ‘a standout ten’

LSU superstar Angel Reese has revealed her first snaps as a Sports Illustrated swimwear model.

The college basketball star, 21, stunned in a textured white bikini for her debut shoot.

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Angel Reese has made her Sports Illustrated swimwear debutCredit: Yu Tsai/ SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

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The 6ft3 LSU basketball star is a national championCredit: Getty

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She has been branded a “standout ten” after her debut SI shootCredit: Getty
Reese’s dramatic career change comes just weeks after fellow Louisiana State athlete Olivia Dunne made her own SI swimwear splash.

Dunne and Reese are amongst the most lucrative college athletes in the country.

Both have bagged multiple ‘Name, Image & Likness’ sponsors which sees them rake in “seven figures” annually.

Reese has partnerships with huge brands including Coach, Amazon Merch on Demand, and McDonald’s.

While she led LSU Tigers to their first NCAA championship in program history earlier this year at March Madness.

Reese also rocked LSU purple in her first photoshoot for the iconic swimwear magazine.

And Angel’s stunning new snaps went down a storm on social media, where she was branded a “standout ten”.

One fan gasped: “We WILL be getting Sports Illustrated this month.”

While a second said: “Beautiful. This is just the beginning for her.”

The 6ft3 forward admits that she was initially nervous during the Los Angeles shoot, where she posed for photographer Yu Tsai.

But the Maryland native soon warmed to the camera and learned to “embrace her body”.

Reese told SI: “I had on thong bathing suits and I didn’t think I was going to be comfortable, but [everyone] made me feel really comfortable.

“I work out a lot. I embrace my body and who I am and every mark on my body. I probably feel the sexiest in a bathing suit.

“I’m excited and blessed to be able to have these opportunities to go out and be who I am.”

Angel also opened up on her beef with Caitlin Clark after a high-profile on-court taunting incident with the Iowa star.

Reese said: “Caitlin and I are cool.

“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.

“We work just as hard as the men. Women can be who we are; women can be competitive.”

Reese is not eligible for the WNBA draft for another year – but the 2023 NCAA Most Outstanding Player is looking forward to another year of college ball.

She continued: “There’s always room to be better. I’m about to go to USA Basketball, so my goal this summer is to win a gold medal.

“I feel like I’ve been 21 for a minute.

“I had to grow up quickly when I came to LSU, because I came here by myself.

“This is the first time I’m away from home, so I had to move my apartment, do all this stuff and I’m making money on my own.

“I’ve worked hard to get to the life hopefully that I am at in five to 10 years, so just being able to be free and happy and traveling and just having fun.”

Sports Illustrated swimwear edition hits the stands on Thursday, May 18.