Angel Reese — Louisiana State University’s basketball title winner, NCAA’s most outstanding player and infamous feud participant with First Lady Jill Biden — can now add Sports Illustrated swimsuit model to her resume.
The 21-year-old, who is nicknamed “Bayou Barbie” for her game-day glam, slipped right into the role — and a skimpy white two-piece.
“I am unapologetically Angel,” the Maryland native said in a video from the shoot.
“I am a queen. I am confident. I am strong. I am who I am.”
She told the magazine that she works 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,” she said.
In one of the images, Reese, who led the Lady Tigers to their first championship in school history with a 102-85 victory over Iowa, points to her finger in a nod to her ring taunt that sparked a debate about female athletes and sportsmanship.
LSU star Angel Reese wears a white bikini in her first Sports Illustrated appearance.
Yu Tsai/ SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
After the women’s title game, the forward ran up to Iowa’s sharpshooter Caitlin Clark and mimicked John Cena’s trademark “you can’t see me” taunt. She then pointed to her ring finger to note she was getting a national championship ring.
The brash move divided fans. Some argued that Clark had also done the Cena move and Reese was not only reciprocating but doing what the men do: trash talk. Others criticized her lack of grace in victory.
Both ballplayers have said there is no bad blood between them.
Angel Reese points to her ring finger after defeating Iowa.
USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
“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,” she said, adding, “We work just as hard as the men. Women can be who we are; women can be competitive.”
Last month, she also blasted the First Lady, who said both teams should be invited to the White House — a privilege normally reserved only for the victors. Reese called the idea “A JOKE” on Twitter and said she couldn’t commit to a visit. She has since announced she will join her championship squad in D.C. on May 26, adding, “I’m going to do what’s best for the team. I’m the captain.”
In the aftermath, Reese’s NIL stock skyrocketed and her social media audience rapidly inflated to four million followers across TikTok, Instagram and Twitter.
She now reportedly has a net worth of $1 million.
Reese hopes her visibility shows that women athletes can balance tenacity with femininity.
Angel Reese in the Bahamas last year.
Instagram/Angel Reese
“The biggest takeaway I want people to know is you can be girly off the court and still have swag and just be who you are. I mean, I embrace my body and who I am and on the court I can still ball. I am 6’3,″ I work out a lot so why not show it? I got a nice little body. When I go to the beach or go to the pool and everybody’s looking, it’s like, ‘Damn, you sexy girl,’ ” she said.
She certainly has athletic genes. Her father, Michael Reese, played college hoops at Boston College and Loyola University in Maryland. Her mother, also named Angel, played ball at University of Maryland Baltimore County and professionally in Europe.
As a kid, Reese played a number of sports, and her mother didn’t push her toward the hardwood.
“She never put it on me that I had to play basketball because she did, so she let me experience and do whatever I wanted to do. I just finally decided basketball was going to be my thing. I was kind of good at it, and I was really competitive.”
Angel Reese is nicknamed the Bayou Barbie for her game-day glam and long lashes.
USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
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Her confidence caught the eye of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Editor-in-Chief, MJ Day, who said Reese is “combating the double standard in sports, especially for women…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.”
Reese isn’t the only LSU athlete to make the mag.
Two weeks ago, it was announced that gymnast and social media sensation Olivia Dunne was also baring her athletic frame in the bikini bible, which hits newsstands May 18.
