This is what we call a starting lineup. Sports Illustrated’s 2022 Swimsuit Issue may not hit newsstands until May 19, but the highly anticipated annual issue kicked off with a big reveal (not to be confused with this). other big reveal so many people were obsessed with this week).
For 2022, SI Swim continued to raise the bar on inclusion, both featuring its the first visibly pregnant model (dressed in a bikini), and another proudly showing her postpartum scar from a cesarean section. But as the WNBA kicked off its 26th season on May 6, Sports Illustrated celebrated the league by choosing five of its stars as 2022 swimsuit models: LA Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird, New York Liberty guard DiDi Richards, Storm forward. Breanna Stewart and free agent guard Te’a Cooper.
Screenshot: Sports Illustrated Swimsuit
“It’s been a dream my whole life, so it’s crazy to be featured (in the issue), especially after my first year in the WNBA,” Richards said. SI Swimming. “It was very humiliating. My emotions were everywhere. I was like, “Am I supposed to be here? »
Cooper echoed those emotions, admitting that she didn’t expect to take a historic step because of the historical profile of the issue. “It says ‘sport’ but they always looked like models, so I never thought one day I would be one,” she said. “It was very rewarding to be a part of this because of the people I did it with. Everyone’s story was different and just spending time with them, all being in the WNBA as professionals, was overwhelming.
The quintet was captured on location on St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands by a photographer Laretta Cooper. The cast was diverse, but the dress code? All in black.
“We represent a variety of things: of course women, women of color, members of the LGBTQIA2+ community and much more,” Bird said. “The issue (of swimsuits) has been emblematic for so many years and represents a lot for women. Now you see an evolution in what that can mean and what it can look like, and I think the fact that WNBA players are a part of it is what makes it special. There is no better group of women to showcase this development.
“And the fact that some of the players are mothers – just being able to do all that And Being one of the best athletes is an incredible accomplishment. And the fact that people can see it is empowering,” Cooper said.
Also empowering is the activism that much of the league has demonstrated in recent years, staunchly advocating for black lives, voting rights and equal pay. The latter is a problem that the WNBA has long counted withbecause its players earn pennies compared to their male NBA counterparts, on top of training, traveling and competing with far fewer team resources.
“Women don’t leave people behind,” Nneka Ogwumike, a six-time All-Star and president of the league’s players’ union, told SI Swim. “It’s intrinsic. I’m so happy to work in a career where I experience this every day.
“They worked hard to get us to where we are today,” Cooper said of her more established WNBA colleagues. “It continues to grow and has come a long way: a bigger platform and stage, more support and audience. But there are so many other windows to break. »
Maiysha Kai is theGrio’s lifestyle editor, covering all things black and beautiful. Her work is inspired by two decades of experience in fashion and entertainment, a love of great books and aesthetics, and the indomitable brilliance of black culture. She is also a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and YA anthology editor. Body (Words of Change series).
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