Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart and other WNBA players featured in Sports Illustrated annual swimsuit issue
Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart are featured in this year’s Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit issue, which was officially revealed on Monday.
The two former UConn stars share the spotlight with fellow WNBA players Nneka Ogwumike, Didi Richards and Te’a Cooper.
“This is who we are; this is the makeup of our league,” Bird said in the article accompanying the cover shoot. “We represent a variety of things: of course women, women of color, members of the LGBTQIA2+ community and much more. . . . The [Swimsuit] issue for so many years has been iconic and has represented a lot for women. Now you are seeing an evolution in what that can mean and what that can look like, and I think the WNBA players being a part of that is what makes it special. There is no better group of women to showcase that evolution.”
In addition to showcasing a wide spectrum of women, the WNBA, less than a week into its 26th season, has been at the forefront of advocating for social issues behind player-led movements. Stewart said in the article that she wants to be a role model for her daughter Ruby, born in August 2021, by showing the impact women can have in society. All of those factors are part of why the SI swimsuit feature is so important.
“We continue to be leaders in this space because we always have fought for more — and we don’t plan on stopping anytime soon,” said Stewart, who is teammates with Bird on the Seattle Storm.
WNBA All-Star and Connecticut Sun guard Courtney Williams appreciated that Sports Illustrated chose to highlight women in the WNBA, but also raised issue with the lack of range in swimsuits modeled.
The 2022 Swimsuit Issue launches online on May 16 and will be available to purchase in stores starting on May 19.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to have such a badass group of women come together for this specific issue,” SI Swimsuit editor in chief MJ Day said.
